Rachel Isaacs Explained

Rachel Isaacs was the first openly lesbian rabbi ordained by the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary ("JTS"), which occurred in May 2011.[1]

Biography

Isaacs earned her B.A. from Wellesley College in 2005, where she was the Hillel Co-President.[2] [3] She transferred to JTS from the Reform movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in her third year of rabbinical school.[4]

She is now the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Waterville, Maine, which is a Conservative synagogue,[5] as well as the Dorothy "Bibby" Levine Alfond Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at Colby College.[6] She is also the director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life, also at Colby.[7]

Isaacs was mentored at JTS by Rabbi Carie Carter, who placed the tallit across Isaacs' shoulders at her ordination.[4] Rabbi Carter was a closeted lesbian during her time at JTS, and wrote the originally-anonymous chapter "In Hiding" about lesbian Conservative rabbis in the 2001 book Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation.[1] Rabbi Carter is now openly lesbian, and works at Brooklyn's Park Slope Jewish Center, which Rachel Isaacs interned at.[1]

In 2014, Isaacs was named one of "America's Most Inspiring Rabbis" by the Jewish Daily Forward.[5] In 2016, she delivered the evening Hanukkah benediction at the White House.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Out and Ordained . Amy Stone . Lilith . Summer 2011 . 2011-11-19.
  2. Web site: Beth Israel Congregation . Beth Israel Congregation, Waterville, ME . 19 November 2011.
  3. Web site: Jewish Studies at Colby College » Blog Archive » Welcome, Rachel Isaacs and Linda Maizels! . Jewish Studies at Colby College . Colby College . 2011-08-19 . 2011-11-19.
  4. Web site: JTS Ordains Its First Openly Gay Rabbi – The Sisterhood – Forward.com . Blogs.forward.com . 2011-05-25 . 2011-11-19.
  5. Web site: Rabbi at Waterville synagogue named one of America's 'Most Inspiring' Jewish clergy. The Bangor Daily News. 20 March 2014 . 29 October 2014.
  6. Web site: College. Colby. Dorothy "Bibby" Levine Alfond Professorship of Jewish Studies Inaugural Lecture and a Celebration of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. Colby.edu.
  7. Web site: College. Colby. Center for Small Town Jewish Life. Colby.edu.
  8. Web site: Posted December 15, 2016 . Waterville rabbi calls delivering Hanukkah remarks at White House 'incredible' . CentralMaine.com . 2016-12-15 . 2017-06-23.