Rabbi Ira J. Dounn serves as the Dean of Strategic Initiatives at AJR.  For over eighteen years, Ira has served as a Jewish educator and community/nonprofit leader at the Center for Jewish Life – Princeton Hillel, BBYO International, Jewish Child Care Association, and B’nai Jeshurun (BJ).  In these roles, he’s had the opportunity to cultivate deep relationships with students and to build long-lasting, innovative, and impactful programs like the Collegiate Moot Bin Din (now Maimonides Moot Court Competition), various affinity spaces that help students know they fully belong, and the Jewish Enrichment Institute among many others.  Creativity, a focus on relationships, pluralism, going above-and-beyond, and gratitude are among Ira’s motivating values.  And he likes to say and to model that “we begin and end with gratitude.”  And he likes to channel his spiritual mentor who used to say: “Begin with the right foot.”  Ira has previously taught the “Experiential Education: Who is Wise?” course at AJR.  And he is proud to have been ordained as a rabbi at AJR, and finds it particularly meaningful to be able to give back to a seminary that has given so much to him.
Lecturer

Education:

Rabbi, Academy for Jewish Religion; MA, Jewish Education, Hebrew College; BA, University of Chicago