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Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God ' s presence with shouts of joy. ~ Psalms 100:2
While in Temple times it was the priestly class that received the glory and high status, I myself value more the work of the Levites. The Levites saw to all of the little details that enabled the rest of the society to function: the priests to perform their sacred duties, and the Israelite community to make their offerings at the Temple. This is the service that I am honored to step into: serving God through serving God’ s people.
This levitical calling is fueled by my core value of Am Yisrael. Dr. Mijal Bitton, reflecting on October 7th, said“ that pain you are feeling is Peoplehood.” I know that peoplehood is pain, yes, and also joy, relief, and belonging. The knowledge that as Jews, we are all connected and responsible for each other, has guided my path to the rabbinate and directed my choices while on this path.
My professional work has been in customer service roles, teaching me the skills of relationship and service. From Starbucks on State Street in Newtown to the JCC in Durham, NC, I learned the importance of forming community with those around me through small, regular actions done well: remembering someone’ s name, providing a product made with care, and engaging with a true smile.
2021. Shocked by the anti-Zionism and lack of ahavat Yisrael demonstrated by some classmates after 10 / 7, I transferred to AJR, a proudly Zionist institution.
I am grateful to my family for being my anchor on this journey— wherever I traveled, I knew you held me steady. I participated in several inter-seminary programs: iFellows, Sinai Temple Israel Center Rabbinical School Fellowship, and the Leffell Fellowship: the students and faculty on these programs were the highlights of my school experience.
It is a weighty honor to step into the role of rabbi, and I pray that I will be able to serve God and the Jewish people well. I hold the motto of the John C. Campbell Folk School in mind: I sing behind the plow. Though the work may be difficult or it may be easy, whatever it brings, I am happy in my work.
While participating in Yeshivat Maharat’ s yearlong Mind the Gap program, facilitated by Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, I was amazed by the wisdom and humanity of the female rabbis and teachers. I realized that I, too, could be a rabbi, and entered rabbinical school in August
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