Yoram Getzler (Yoram ben Bella Miriam v’Yaakov, 1938-2013) was an Israeli-American radio producer, writer, and a central figure in bringing Renewal Judaism to Israel. After receiving his B.A. in Cinematography and Audio-Visual Education from the University of Southern California, Getzler spent thirteen years producing audio-visual materials and supervising the film library at the L.A. Bureau of Jewish Education before moving to Colorado. In Colorado, he worked at KVNF-FM public radio in addition to owning a forty-acre farm and founding a Waldorf School for his children.
In 1986, Getzler moved to Israel where he worked as an independent radio program producer and part-time at the radio station Kol Israel’s (Voice of Israel) English language division. Shortly after moving there, he organized Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s visit to Israel, hoping to convince him to retire there. Due to the success of the visit and having known and worked with Schachter-Shalomi since 1973, Getzler was appointed that same year as the coordinator of by Schachter-Shalomi's B’nai Or organization in Israel, which later became Ahavi, the Association for Jewish Renewal in Israel. In addition to his many activities as founder and chairperson of Ahavil, Getzler also served as the main contact and tour-guide for Renewal rabbis visiting Israel.
Later in his career, Getzler used his experience as a radio producer to promote unknown Jewish musicians and artists through the website he started in 2006, cdisrael.com; the podcast he co-hosted with Steve Orenstein on israelseen.com, another website he founded that year; and a CD featuring traditional Jewish music called “Niggun, Nishama, Haftaah,” that he produced in 2006.
