Position: Chaplain

Stephen graduated with B.A. from Dartmouth College(1963), an M.A. from Tufts University (1965) and a Ph.D. from Indiana University (1970) and was a tenured Associate Professor at Queens College. He has a 40 year career as an actor/director on stage and in television and movies. He graduated from AJR,Ca. in 2013 with his M.A. in Jewish Studies and while officiating at all life cycle events in the Los Angeles area, Stephen informs all of his roles with the depth and rich heritage of his ongoing Jewish education to world wide audiences.

Specializations

• Baby Naming Ceremonies
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutoring
• Funerals, Memorial Services & Unveilings
• Public Speaking
• Spiritual Counseling/Spiritual Direction
• Weddings
• Writing/Editing

 

Thesis Title:
ARISTOTLE’S TRAGIC REVERSAL ILLUMINATES MAIMONIDES’ TESHUVA[1](2013)

Abstract:
My study presents Aristotle’s theory of moral growth which consists of four stages, namely an act of moral weakness or mistake of judgment (hamartia), recognition of personal responsibility for that error (agnorisis), reversal from expedient behavior to moral action (perepeteia) and moral purification (catharsis).  I compare and contrast this Aristotelian concept of tragic action,  clearly presented in his Poetics,  with Maimonides’ concept of repentance (Teshuva), which consists of five stages:  recognition (regret), renunciation, confession, reconciliation and resolution.  Maimonides’ theory of the process of repentance (Teshuva) as a drawing nearer to Hashem echoes the Aristotelian view of moral growth.

Email: curlenjik@gmail.com