 RABBI MICHAEL MATUSON
Michael Matuson has been
a Rabbi in Jacksonville since 1996. He is an advocate
for social justice and recently served as Chair of the Board of
Directors of the National Conference for Community and Justice. He has served on the Board of Trustees of FRESHMINISTRIES, an ecumenical organization, and
is an advisory board member for the Mayor's Office of Faith and
Community Based Partnerships.
Rabbi actively works with HabiJax,
the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and with the Interfaith
Council of Jacksonville. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, Rabbi
Matuson was the Associate Director of the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, Southeast Council and Rabbi at B'nai Zion
Congregation in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Rabbi Matuson was ordained at Hebrew Union College (HUC) in
Cincinnati and received the Zion Medal for Outstanding Achievement
in Hebrew Language and the Gittelsohn Prize in Education.
Rabbi Matuson earned a M.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) from University of
Florida, a Hebrew Education Certificate at Greenberg Teacher's
College in Jerusalem, Israel, and a B.A. (with honors) from
Monmouth College in Illinois.
Rabbi Matuson is the recipient of Honorary Degree
of Doctor of Human Letters at Louisiana State University; a Doctor of
Divinity, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College. He also
received the Volunteer of
the Year Honoree from Volunteers of America; the Ralph Waldo Emerson
Award, and honors from the National Council of Christians and Jews. In 2003, the Rabbi Michael Matuson Professorship for
Emerging Scholars was inaugurated at Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion to support young scholars.
He has published in Reform Judaism, Jewish Monthly, and
Journal of Reform Judaism and he has appeared on "60 Minutes"
and a local interfaith television program called "Faith to
Faith." Rabbi Matuson is a native of New York and proud
father of a daughter, Rachel.
DIRECTOR OF LIFELONG LEARNING, KAREN SUSMAN
Karen Susman recently moved to Ponte Vedra Beach after spending the past ten years in Los Angeles working in the Jewish Community. Prior to L.A. she lived and worked in the South Florida Jewish Community. Karen has been working in Jewish Education for the past 25 years, in both formal and informal Education. Israel is her passion……….this is why.
Israel is the homeland of not only the Jewish people, but of many other religions around the world. From the minute I step on the land, a sense of inner peace comes over me. This is the only time and place I ever feel this way.
I have been to Israel many times, but never more important than my first visit, which was 24 years ago. Israel was my first adult vacation with my parents, my sister and her family, my husband and me. Did I love it…….absolutely not! I felt like I was part of a herd of cattle……off the bus……look at a ruin……..off the bus………look at another ruin…… I was never given the opportunity to experience Israel the way it should be and I did not know what I was missing. The best part of my trip was finding out I was pregnant on one Shabbat afternoon. I counted the days until I could return to Florida for “normal” food, and no buses!
During my tenure in Miami Beach the Rabbi explained that part of my job responsibility was to lead a NFTY in Israel trip for our Confirmation Class. I explained to the Rabbi that he did not have the right person for this job because I had no desire to return to Israel. We made a deal that I would go once with the teenagers and I would never have to return again if I did not want to. I experienced 7 trips with teens and have now visited Israel 17 times!
What made this trip different from my first? I lived the land of Israel for 6 weeks, looking at the land and the culture through teen’s eyes. We hiked, camped, and challenged our way through Israel, from one end to the other. I met Israeli’s, both adults and students that changed my life forever. They were not much different than I was, although at 18 years old they had to go into the Israeli Army to protect our homeland.
Karen is a single mother of twin sons, Evan and Bryan Susman. They are now college graduates and living on their own.
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