Rabbi Lisa Berney

Rabbi Lisa Berney is LBT’s Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning.  Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Rabbi Berney received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Jewish and Near Eastern Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Afterward, she attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Los Angeles, where she earned her rabbinic ordination, a Master of Arts in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters, and a graduate certificate in Jewish Nonprofit Management.  While at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Berney received the Outstanding Female Rabbinic Student Award and the Excellence in Jewish Education Prize.

Prior to her ordination in 2014, Rabbi Berney served as the Community Organizing Student Rabbi at Leo Baeck Temple and as a Synagogue Liaison for the Union of Reform Judaism’s B’nai Mitzvah Revolution.  She also served as a student rabbi at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas and Temple Beth Israel in Redding, California, in addition to serving as a student chaplain at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.  Rabbi Berney remains passionate about community building, social justice, family education, and engaging Jewish learners of all ages.

In her free time, Rabbi Berney enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband, Rabbi Joshua Knobel.