Rabbi Cameron is a native of New Jersey and an alumna of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where she majored in Jewish Studies and was a proud member of Trinity’s oldest and only co-ed a cappella group.

Rabbi Cameron received ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2012 after receiving a master’s degree in Religious Education in 2008, also from HUC-JIR. During her time at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Cameron worked as an intern, teacher and student rabbi at a variety of synagogues and organizations, including the press department of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). Following her ordination, Rabbi Cameron served as the Assistant Rabbi and Educator at Temple B’nai Shalom, a synagogue in Virginia. In search of those who might never walk through the doors of a formal Jewish institution, Rabbi Cameron moved to Boston to serve as Director of InterfaithFamily/Boston, in July 2014. She has served as a community rabbi in the greater Boston area, working primarily with interfaith/intercultural/diverse couples and families, crafting creative Jewish experiences, and officiating at life cycle events for those who hadn’t found their Jewish community yet, or who felt disconnected from Jewish community.

When she moved to Salem, MA, she co-created Jew(ish) Tribe for Pride, an organization that provided a Jewish space for people who wanted to march in the local Pride Parade. It has long been important for Rabbi Cameron to connect her queer identity with her Jewish identity and create opportunities for anyone and everyone to do the same.

She is passionate about connecting with every person she meets in the holiest of moments as well as the most mundane. She believes in the power and importance of diversity in the Jewish community and our responsibility to seek justice and model compassion for all. Rabbi Cameron is a lover of music and language, an avid reader, and enjoys time outside, especially near the ocean with her very sweet dog, Yasha.

Aviyah was born in Manhattan, 1948. She grew up in a traditional Hungarian home, her parents newly arrived to the United States from war shattered Budapest, her father a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Her family moved to California’s San Fernando Valley when she turned 14, and after the death of John F. Kennedy, she became politically active in the Young Democrats.

At 25, she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and quickly became part and parcel of the fabric and lore of the 1970’s early Lesbian Feminist and early Food Co-op movement. In the late 1970’s, Aviyah met her first Life Teacher, Sant Ajaib Singh Ji from whom she received initiation into the sacred gift of Naam. She traveled five times to India to sit at his feet. Her second Life Teacher is Rabbi Gershon Winkler, a Kabbalistic/Shamanic Rabbi who has taught her to revel in the Total Joy of All of God’s Creation. In 2010 Aviyah sought conversion to Judaism, and in May 2011 this conversion to the Faith of her father’s family was complete. It was then she chose her Hebrew name Aviyah. Both of her Spiritual Masters remind her to always Trust, and to look for the spark of Love and Goodness in All.

In her 20’s she fell in love with the study of Nutrition; the all encompassing nature of the topic, the easy blend with the things that intrigued her as an undergraduate, and still do: anthropology, geography, politics, understanding people and how they function, how the world functions. She obtained her Masters in Science, Nutrition from Tufts University.

In 1985 she moved to Mendocino County where she worked and thrived as a Registered Dietitian. She understood that the only true way she could help people change was to help people change their beliefs; change the beliefs which lock them into destructive patterns. Thus she returned to school to obtain her second Masters degree, in Counseling Psychology, from the University of San Francisco. In January 2006, Aviyah’s soul mate of eighteen years suddenly and unexpectedly, died; this was just six months after she had lost her dearest sister to cancer. She now felt totally shattered and lost. This led to her move to southern California and writing her book, Overcoming Deepest Grief, which literally saved her life. She came out of her deep grief and depression, and in 2013 met her wife, Marsha Epstein, M.D. her true Beshert. They were married at Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim in 2014.

In early 2009, Aviyah created eldermuse.net as a portal to inspire others as they age and face life’s tragedies. She has learned to be fearless and to love life from her Spiritual Masters, the Ethos of Judaism, her parents, family and friends. She cares passionately about the state of the world, the equality of women, and fervently believes that we are all One – Namaste.

When not writing or cooking, Aviyah is a Docent at the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum.

Ronnie was born in Seattle, WA, and moved to California in 1952, growing up in a largely secular Jewish home.

Ronnie worked in the motion pictures industry for 41 years, primarily at Warner Brothers Studios, where she spent 25 years. To support her partner at the time in her pursuit to return to school, Ronnie sought more stable work with the Warner Brothers prop house to escape the feast-famine cycle of work in the Entertainment Industry. She started by running the basement floor, managing storage and inventory, before quickly moving up to manage the loading dock for the remainder of her career.

During that time, she grew into her identity as a queer, Jewish woman. She credits several people in her life with guiding her towards Beth Chayim Chadashim, including a gay therapist she found in the Yellow Pages, who encouraged her to attend BCC. After mentioning the suggestion to a gay colleague at Warner Bros, the two decided to attend together. Ronnie walked through 6000 W. Pico Blvd one fateful Friday evening, and her life was changed forever! She is grateful for BCC, which gave her an opportunity to experience a rich Jewish life that was not part of her early childhood.

After retiring in 2015, Ronnie wanted to give back to the community. That’s when she began volunteering with the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles. There, she leads field trips for LAUSD students, teaching them about the tragic history and loss that Jews, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, disabled people, and others suffered during World War II. She is most moved when she can impart the importance of hope and empathy in the face of unimaginable cruelty for the next generation.

Ronnie is deeply grateful for the life she has, and hopes to continue making the world a better place!