The Saltz faculty includes some of Israel’s most accomplished educators. Our professionals come from a variety of fields and apply their expertise to Jewish learning. Among the specialized subjects of study are Bible, Talmud, Liturgy, Literature, Informal Education, History, Hebrew, Philosophy, Jewish Education, Jewish Thought, Sociology, Historical Geography and Israel Studies.
Professor Paul Liptz – Director of Education
Paul Liptz is a social historian who has been on the Tel Aviv University faculty for 37 years and teaches both graduate and undergraduate students. He was born in Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe) and came as a volunteer to Israel one day before the Six Day War.He decided to stay in Israel and studied and taught at the Hebrew University and then moved to Tel Aviv University where he lectured on a wide range of topics. His main interests were topics on Arab women, nationalism in the Middle East and ethnicity in Africa. In the Israeli army he lectured officers and non-commissioned officers on non-military realms. He taught for over 25 years on the Jerusalem campus of the Hebrew Union College,dealing with modern Jewish history, Israeli society and the Middle East. He is Director of Education at the Anita Saltz International Education Center, World Union for Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem. In the last decades, he has travelled the world extensively, lecturing and conducting workshops in some twenty countries. He has also been the Scholar with many American groups in Central and Eastern Europe. He is married to Brenda and they have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
He was born in Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe) and came as a volunteer to Israel one day before the Six Day War.He decided to stay in Israel and studied and taught at the Hebrew University and then moved to Tel Aviv University where he lectured on a wide range of topics. His main interests were topics on Arab women, nationalism in the Middle East and ethnicity in Africa. In the Israeli army he lectured officers and non-commissioned officers on non-military realms.
He taught for over 25 years on the Jerusalem campus of the Hebrew Union College,dealing with modern Jewish history, Israeli society and the Middle East. He is Director of Education at the Anita Saltz International Education Center, World Union for Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem.
In the last decades, he has travelled the world extensively, lecturing and conducting workshops in some twenty countries. He has also been the Scholar with many American groups in Central and Eastern Europe.
He is married to Brenda and they have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
Rabbi Steve Burnstein, R.J.E. – Director
Rabbi Steve Burnstein is Director of the Anita Saltz International Education Center of the World Union for Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem and has been working in Jewish and Israel education for over 30 years. Rabbi Burnstein has a BA in Jewish History and MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, is a Reconstructionist rabbi, and has been working in the Reform Movement since 1989. Originally from Kansas City, Rabbi Burnstein made Aliya in 1996 and served as the Associate Director of the Pinat Shorashim Israel-Diaspora Seminar Center. Previously, he served as Educator at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas; as Israel Education Consultant at the Central Agency for Jewish Education in Philadelphia; and as Director of the Education Division at IsraelExperts. Steve works closely with Rabbi Miri Gold and Kehilat Birkat Shalom at Kibbutz Gezer where he lives with his wife, Varda Livney; son, Micah; daughter, Gavriella; and Kitty-the-Dog. They enjoy watching baseball games at Gezer’s “Field of Dreams,” campfires, and playing guitar.