Clergy profile: Rabbi Bryski, Conejo Chabad

Rabbi Moshe Bryski Chabad of the Conejo Rabbi Moshe Bryski, executive director of Chabad of the Conejo in Agoura Hills, said he first entered the local scene as a bus driver transporting children to a Morrison Ranch summer youth camp, and was later "drafted for a temporary position" at Chabad of the Conejo in Agoura Hills.

That temporary position has lasted 22 years.

Bryski recalled the rapid growth of Agoura Hills since he arrived in the Conejo Valley.

During the years Bryski has been at Chabad of the Conejo in Agoura Hills, he has overseen the opening of new Chabad centers in Westlake Village, Calabasas, Oak Park and Camarillo, as well as in Thousand Oaks where his nephew, Rabbi Chaim Bryski, is in charge.

Plans to build another facility were recently submitted to the city of Agoura Hills for approval, Bryski said. The New Center for Jewish Life will be built adjacent to the present Chabad of the Conejo at 30345 Canwood St. in Agoura Hills.

He said his daughter, Rochel Bryski, assists him at the local Chabad facility as program coordinator for the Friendship Circle, an important project dedicated to helping children with special needs. (For information on that program visit wwwfriendshipwalk.com..)

Bryski and his wife, Matty, have been married for 20 years, and they have eight children. Bryski said they are anxiously looking forward to the third birthday of their son, Aaron, which will be celebrated with an "upshernish," a traditional Jewish ceremony and exciting family event when a young boy's long locks are trimmed for the first time.

Growing up in Brookline, Mass., Bryski said his education consisted of two years at the Rabbinical College of Greater New England near Boston and the Rabbinical College of Montreal, Canada, where he was later ordained a rabbi.

Bryski said there are several programs available at Chabad of the Conejo, and emphasized the excellence of the adult education program. He said about 3,000 students annually participate in its workshops and special studies. For more information about

Jewish education and the various programs offered at Chabad of the Conejo in Agoura Hills, call (818) 991-0991 or visit the website at www.jewishacademy.com.