Rabbi John Carrier Bio
Rabbi Carrier was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University. He previously served as the Rabbi of Burbank Temple Emanu El, a diverse Conservative synagogue in nearby Burbank, California.
Happy serving students and community members of all ages, Rabbi Carrier is especially passionate about Jewish adult education. He has taught for the Miller Introduction to Judaism program for more than five years and the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning for two years. In 2018 he published his first book, The Promised Life, and he founded The Jewcurious School, an online learning portal especially for people around the world who don't have access to synagogues or traditional settings for Jewish learning.
Besides teaching formal classes at PJTC and all over Los Angeles, Rabbi Carrier has created many free resources online to help people learn about basic (and not-so-basic) Jewish ideas and traditions, including more than 200 videos on YouTube.
In addition to serving the PTJC community, Rabbi Carrier sits on the local Rabbinical Assembly Batei Din (rabbinic courts) for conversion to Judaism and for Gittin (Jewish rituals for divorce).
Rabbi Carrier is a proud native Texan but has lived all over the country before settling in Southern California 10 years ago. He and his wife Kara have two adult sons and two young daughters, and together they enjoy comedy of all kinds, solving puzzles and mysteries, showing off their skills in the kitchen, and jogging in occasional fun runs.
