Jewish Studies Professor Champions Secular View : Religion: Judaism is rarely taught outside a religious setting, but Valley College has been offering it for 25 years.

The professor at Los Angeles Valley College, with his long gray hair and beard, reminded student Mary Jackson of the biblical “Ancient of Days” sitting on his heavenly throne. Another admiring student compared his appearance to none other than Noah.

But it is not only his resemblance to a Hebrew sage that brings distinction to 54-year-old professor Zev Garber. He is a pioneer in the concept of Jewish studies at public colleges and his teaching style and passion for his work have kept the program at Valley College alive for nearly 25 years.

As Jews crowd into synagogues for High Holy Day observances this week, starting with Rosh Hashana services tonight, Garber and his colleague Jody Myers, who heads a bigger program at Cal State Northridge, stand as leaders of a lesser-known branch of Jewish learning in the San Fernando Valley. For a quarter of a century they have exposed hundreds of students to an analytical, secular approach to Judaism and Jewish culture.

“I find that what I do is an absolute threat to the Orthodox community,” said Garber, even though he personally has an Orthodox Jewish perspective. He said Jewish studies courses provoke tensions for many traditional believers when texts, traditions and history are studied in a non-religious setting.

“At first, it’s a shock,” Garber said. “Then, slowly but surely, [students] can see what I’m doing and appreciate that one doesn’t have to give up traditional values if they can appreciate other values too.”

Cal State Northridge’s Myers, a professor of religious studies, said that objective courses in religion can even stir conflict among students who are Jewish but do not observe traditional Jewish law.

“I’ve had Jewish students in my classes who were non-observant, and they’d say, ‘This is sacred, from Moses, and you’re saying it was written later!’ ” said Myers. She was referring to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible that tradition says were written by Moses. However, most scholars say the books were the work of many hands after Moses’ lifetime.

Myers noted some students are surprised that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the culmination of the High Holy Days on Yom Kippur--Oct. 4 this year--have not always been the high point on the Hebrew calendar.

“In my class last Tuesday we saw that the Book of Nehemiah mentions the seven days of Sukkot, a harvest festival, but there is no mention of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, which are holidays observed today shortly before Sukkot,” she said.

“What students see is the evolution of the religion,” Myers said, noting that Sukkot was probably an older Israelite festival and “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur may not have been very important in the 5th Century B.C.,” thought to be the period when Nehemiah was written.

“I encourage students to compare what the rabbis say to what they hear in the classroom,” Garber said. Although religious institutions usually seek to explain supposed contradictions in tradition, public-supported studies of religion tend to be more accepting of ambiguities and contrasts.

Garber completed his doctoral work and exams at USC but never finished writing his dissertation. He has written and lectured extensively on the Holocaust.

Catholic-raised Mary Jackson, 50, of Lake View Terrace, who transferred this year from Valley College to Cal State Northridge, said she took five courses in Jewish studies from Garber. “In class, he is a ball of fire--dynamic yet intellectual,” Jackson said.

Garber’s impact started when he arrived on campus in Van Nuys in the fall of 1970 and successfully proposed a Jewish studies major for the spring of 1971.

Some 25 years later, however, Garber’s all but one-man effort to perpetuate Valley College’s Jewish studies offerings have not fared as well as the Jewish studies program on the Northridge campus.

Because of a relatively low student demand for Jewish studies courses and long waiting lists for required classes, Richard Moyer, vice president of academic affairs at Valley College, said that the program is “leading a tenuous existence at present,” down to three courses this semester.

“We possibly are looking at the demise of Jewish studies in a few years,” Garber said.

Cal State’s Myers said that although her program has been hit by a recent campus-wide drop in student enrollment, she has influential supporters in the administration.