Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Neighbor

Rabbi Paul Kipnes is spiritual leader of Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas’ only Jewish sanctuary. He teaches Pastoral Counseling in the Rabbinical School and serves as a member of the Rhea Hirsch School of Jewish Education clinical faculty at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. He serves as Rabbinic Dean at Camp Newman in Santa Rosa and co-chair of the revenue enhancement committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. He has served as national CCAR Convention Chairperson, past chairperson of the West Valley Rabbinic Task Force, and Board member on the Pacific Area Reform Rabbis Executive Board.

Under his leadership, Congregation Or Ami has won national awards for social justice programming, for innovative worship programming, for outreach to interfaith families, and for engaging family education, and for best overall use of technology in a synagogue. Or Ami also wins the hearts of its families for its <i>Henaynu</i> caring community which reaches out during times of need. 

Rabbi Kipnes co-edited a national CCAR Journal issue on <i>New Visions for Jewish Community</i>. He creates community-wide programs for Jews recovering from addictions. He blogs regularly at rabbipaul.blogspot.com, tweets &#64;RabbiKip, and has a Facebook page Rabbi Paul Kipnes. A fan of meditation, Star Trek, and yoga, Rabbi Kipnes and his wife Michelle November – Associate Director of Admissions at New Community Jewish High School – have three children.