Rabbi Joshua "Yoshi" Fenton
Rabbi Fenton is the Executive Director of Edah in Berkeley, California. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Yoshi was ordained in 2007 at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, the Conservative movement's west coast seminary. While at Ziegler, he worked as the Rabbinic Intern for Temple Beth Am, as the Rabbi in Residence at Kadima Jewish Day School, and as the Director of Leadership Programs at Camp Alonim. During his stay in Los Angeles, Rabbi Fenton also received masters degrees in education and rabbinic studies, both from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. His educational philosophy is based on the idea of learning by doing and this approach serves as the corner stone guiding the work at Edah.
In 2007 Rabbi Fenton became the founding director of the Silicon Valley Center for Jewish Life and Learning at the Addison Penzak Jewish Community Center. There he won numerous awards for excellence in education and programming while emerging as a leading voice on Jewish family education and engagement as well as innovative program design. In 2011 Rabbi Fenton became the Associate Director of Jewish LearningWorks in San Francisco leading numerous innovation and engagement projects, developing programs and curricula for families, youth, and adult learners.
Rabbi Fenton has taught in a variety of settings, both formal and informal, including day schools, supplemental schools, camps, JCC's, Hillels, and universities. He loves to teach classical Jewish text, primarily Torah and Talmud, and has worked with both teachers and parents alike, supporting them in personal and professional explorations of Jewish living and thought. His writing focuses on Jewish communal leadership, educational leadership, and family engagement and education.
In 2007 Rabbi Fenton became the founding director of the Silicon Valley Center for Jewish Life and Learning at the Addison Penzak Jewish Community Center. There he won numerous awards for excellence in education and programming while emerging as a leading voice on Jewish family education and engagement as well as innovative program design. In 2011 Rabbi Fenton became the Associate Director of Jewish LearningWorks in San Francisco leading numerous innovation and engagement projects, developing programs and curricula for families, youth, and adult learners.
Rabbi Fenton has taught in a variety of settings, both formal and informal, including day schools, supplemental schools, camps, JCC's, Hillels, and universities. He loves to teach classical Jewish text, primarily Torah and Talmud, and has worked with both teachers and parents alike, supporting them in personal and professional explorations of Jewish living and thought. His writing focuses on Jewish communal leadership, educational leadership, and family engagement and education.