Let the honor of your student be dear to you as your own, and the honor of your fellow like the reverence of your teacher, and the reverence of your teacher like the reverence of Heaven.”

Pirkei Avot 4:12

Why J Leaders?

I am honored to be invited to serve on the Board of Advisors of J Leaders, and to share my knowledge and expertise with prospective leaders in the Jewish community.  As an Israeli and  long-time lecturer and scholar of political  and public ethics, I welcome the opportunity to help shape the next generation of Jewish leaders, and look forward to serving on the Board.

BIO

Rivka Amado is a retired Professor and adviser on applied ethics in bioethics and political ethics. Her research focused on medical ethics, moral political leadership and Israeli culture. She taught for many years at Tel Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Since moving to the United States in 2004, she has taught at Stanford, Princeton, and UC Berkeley. During academic years 2022-2024, she has been teaching courses on Israeli politics and society in the Department of Political Science at UC Santa Barbara. 

In addition to her scholarly work, Rivka maintains an active musical career that is inspired by her Sephardic heritage.  She composes, sings, and plays the piano. Over the last twenty years she has both performed in Australia, Spain, Israel, and throughout the United States, and produced three albums, one of classical ladino music, and two others involving her own original compositions.