RA Rabbis Are...

Place of Ordination: Zeigler School of Rabbinic Studies
Ordination Year: 2006
Current Employer: Various
Current Job Title: Visiting Rabbi

Why did you want to become a rabbi?:

I wanted to become a rabbi because I thrive on teaching people of all ages. I love that the rabbinate draws upon all of my gifts that I want to share with the world. It is stimulating and meaningful for me to go from sharing my love of Judaism with preschoolers to comforting families who have lost a loved one, to partnering with a Board of Directors to strategize about a vibrant future, all of which can happen in one day.

Did someone “tap” or influence you to become a rabbi? What’s that story?:

I became a rabbi because a rabbi asked me! I am forever grateful to Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson who welcomed me into this life path that has enriched my life beyond what I could have ever possibly imagined. He was the rabbi who was a significant teacher to me, married me to my partner Jeff, and ordained me - what a life path!

What is the most meaningful aspect of your rabbinate?:

I currently serve as a visiting rabbi for different communities across the US. It is incredibly meaningful to me because I get to advise and consult with communities who are so grateful for my presence and my offerings. I love supporting rabbis who are on vacation or sabbatical, to be with their communities, and hold them while their clergy recharges and regenerates. I also help in communities who do not have a full time rabbi, I provide a clergy presence during a liminal time, and strategize to explore creative approaches to attract and retain a rabbi.

What brings you joy in your rabbinate?:

It brings me joy to feel the openness that people bring to me in significant moments of their lives. It is bittersweet for me that many of these moments happen when I guide a family through the meaningful end-of-life rituals that are a part of our millenia-old tradition. To be present for families in their time of need is uplifting. In my work as a consultant, I love supporting communities who are soul-seeking: to become the kind of community they want to be in the future

How is the rabbinate an expression of your Jewish values?:

I truly believe in the power of community. Being a rabbi means I get to support synagogues to create and nurture communities of meaning that are so desperately needed in the world.

How has your career as a rabbi impacted the world?:

My career has surprised a lot of people who don't expect someone who converted to Judaism to be a rabbi! As a mother to three adult children and two grandchildren, I also feel that I have helped to expand the "picture" of what a rabbi can look like!

What is your message to those considering the rabbinate?:

My inspiration comes from my dear friend Elana who says: “Whatever I have put into the life of a community, I have received back more than I ever could have imagined.

What is one book that has most influenced your life?:

Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose by Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz

What is one piece of Jewish music that you love to listen to?:

Kol Ha Olam Kulo by Yosef Goldman

How are you engaging the next generation in Judaism and the rabbinate?:

Staying in touch one-on-one with teen and college-age human beings helps me to kindle that flame for the next generation.

Place of Ordination: Jewish Theological Seminary
Ordination Year: 2011
Current Employer: Mosaic Law Congregation
Current Job Title: Pulpit Rabbi

Why did you want to become a rabbi?

I chose to become a rabbi in college. I was taking a Hebrew class for the retro credits and the topic was the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment). I was amazed that the maskilim (proponents of the enlightenment), while secular individuals, knew their Bible cold, wrote in beautiful Hebrew, and had an intense connection with the Land of Israel. I said if these individuals still have the Jewish spark, how much more so should I as someone who was somewhat religious? I changed my major from History/Political Science to History/Hebrew/Jewish Studies.

I also wanted to become a rabbi because I am a people person and get great meaning from making a difference in people's lives through counseling, hospital visits, and life cycle events. In addition as a rabbi, you never know what the following day will bring- what connections you will make, what insights you will gain from studying, and how you will help transform the lives of others. I have always viewed the rabbinate as a vocation, not a job.

Lastly, while not a calling, I believe I've been guided by the hand of God, which is in the details.

Did someone “tap” or influence you to become a rabbi? What’s that story?

Rabbi Lee Buckman was my greatest influence in becoming a rabbi. After graduating from day school in 8th grade I wanted to continue my Jewish Studies, and Rabbi Buckman offered to teach me Sefer (The Book of) Amos. I told him, "Rabbi, what if I'm the only one interested in learning?" He replied, "Even if it is just you and me, I will teach you." The fact that a rabbi of a 700-family congregation would give up an hour of his time every week to teach me was mind-blowing. While Rabbi Buckman likely did not know he was tapping me, I have wanted to be for others what he was for me.

Place of Ordination: Jewish Theological Seminary
Ordination Year: 1999
Current Employer: Women's League For Conservative Judaism
Current Job Title: Executive Director

Why did you want to become a rabbi?

I loved teaching and learning Torah.

Did someone “tap” or influence you to become a rabbi? 

Rabbi Benjamin Kreitman always encouraged me to be a rabbi. He gave me the opportunity to teach and preach when I was young and continued to encourage me my entire life to pursue the rabbinate.

What is the most meaningful aspect of your rabbinate?

Showing women who did not have the opportunity when they were younger, that they can now, no matter how old they are, or what background they come from, they can take a more active part in their synagogue and Jewish Community. I love showing how esoteric text, and not-so-esoteric Jewish text, can still be very meaningful and relevant today.

What brings you joy in your rabbinate?

Hearing that others want to learn and participate and that they have also learned how to relate Jewish texts and values each day of their lives.

How is the rabbinate an expression of your Jewish values?

Seeing presence of God in every person I meet. Bringing God, Torah, and Israel into the world each day.

How has your career as a rabbi impacted the world?

More people, especially women, feel a greater connection to Torah.

What is your message to those considering the rabbinate?

It can be very challenging. And one needs to remember why they wanted to be a rabbi in the first place. And never lose sight of the person you see in the mirror. That person is not the title or job, but a human being. The relationships we form with our family and loved ones are more important than our relationships with the people who write our pay checks. Because at the end of the day, we should remember that the rabbinate should be a calling, not just a job. If it is just a job, when we change jobs, we may think we lose our identity. But not so - we are always klei kodesh.

What is one book that has most influenced your life?

Are you there God? It's me, Margaret taught me about talking to God and having a personal relationship with God.

What is one piece of Jewish music that you love to listen to?

Ana B'koah. And "Avodah" by Ishay Ribo

If you have a pet with a funny/punny Jewish name, please share!

I used to have a dog named Mazel, z"l.

What “pipeline initiatives” have you created in your community to engage the next generation?

Personally, I model to my own 3 children what it means to be Jewish and part of a community. I also encourage women to teach.

Place of Ordination: Jewish Theological Seminary
Ordination Year: 1994
Current Employer: Congregation Ahavas Israel
Current Job Title: Pulpit Rabbi

What is the most meaningful aspect of your rabbinate?

There's nothing like a funeral to see how Jewish ritual and community supports and lifts people when they are at their lowest. And the rabbi is at the center, supporting and, in some ways, protecting the family as they face the worst moments of their lives. Speaking about the deceased, a person that you as rabbi have known for decades, framing a life with Jewish values, is a privilege.

What is your message to those considering the rabbinate?

Think about the small congregation and the small or isolated communities. Bigger does not mean better. I can't imagine that my life and rabbinate would have been more fulfilling and enjoyable anywhere other than Grand Rapids, MI.

What is one book that has most influenced your life?

Torah. But I think you mean something other than Torah. The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. It was my first glimpse into observant Jewish life and serious and scholarly Torah study.

If you have a pet with a funny/punny Jewish name, please share!

We used to have a dog named Rafi. Some people at the dog park thought his name was a pun on Ruffy.