Commendations
“My most intense contacts with Peter Pitzele have been during an annual week long retreat called The Rabbi Training Institute, sponsored by the Jewish Theological Seminary for rabbis of the Conservative Movement. These retreats provide ongoing professional growth and leadership training for those in attendance. The mornings of the retreat are devoted to text study, the afternoon to professional training and the evenings to the exploration of the inner, spiritual life of the rabbis. Dr. Pitzele has been the most popular teacher/leader at these sessions, year after year. Through his special gift of doing Bibliodrama, he has been able to create an atmosphere of trust and openness in his sessions that enables the rabbis to explore with depth and energy the issues surrounding their role as leaders in the communities they serve. The sessions have enabled the rabbis to learn more about themselves and the impact they have on others. In their evaluations participants always insist that Dr. Pitzele must be invited back again next year.
Many of the rabbis, after their encounters with Peter Pitzele have brought him to their congregations for weekend sessions with their laity to explore both leadership and personal/religious feelings. The rabbis have told me of the success they have had with these programs. One last comment relates to Peter’s work with rabbinical students at JTS. We bring him, at every opportunity, to the school to use his talents in getting students to explore their own religious development and to begin to assess their leadership inclinations. He has always left students with new insights and greater confidence.
I would offer my strongest recommendation for Peter Pitzele as someone who would ignite interest and enthusiasm in any group that he would encounter. Each session with him has depth, reflecting the intelligent and sensitive way that he leads people to explore their personal feelings and find deeper meaning.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
Rabbi William H. Lebeau
Vice Chancellor for Rabbinic Development, Dean of the Rabbinical School
Jewish Theological Seminary
As a teacher of text and as a professional Peter Pitzele earns 5 stars! I’ve participated in Bibliodrama sessions with him in synagogue settings on several occasions, at a recent Hadassah shabbaton and in a one week workshop. In all situations I found his insight and ability to make Torah text accessible something to marvel at. As a format Bibliodrama is, for me, a contemporary way to engage in midrash and study/learn with others. I have yet to see a setting where it has not captivated a vast majority of the participants. At the Hadassah Leadership Academy, where Peter recently facilitated, nearly all of the 160 women gave him an “excellent” in the evaluation. Peter was professional and very easy to work with in terms of his responsiveness and decision-making about format and text selection. Feel free to contact me if you need more information.“
Elyse Rabinowitz
Program Manager, Hadassah Leadership Academy