The CCAR joined a coalition along with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, National Council of Jewish Women, American Conference of Cantors, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, and Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association to release the following statement.
The rule of law, freedom of inquiry, access to vibrant places of higher education, and strong democratic norms and institutions have allowed American Jewry to thrive for hundreds of years.
There should be no doubt that antisemitism is rising—visible, chilling, and increasingly normalized in our public discourse, politics, and institutions. It requires urgent and consistent action by our nation’s political, academic, religious, and civic leaders. At the same time, we firmly reject the false choice between confronting antisemitism and upholding democracy. Our safety as Jews has always been tied to the rule of law, to the safety of others, to the strength of civil society, and to the protection of rights and liberties for all.
At this moment, Jews are being targeted and held collectively accountable for the actions of a foreign government. Jews are being pushed out of certain movements, classrooms, and communities for expressing a connection to their heritage or to the Jewish homeland. And, horrifically, some voices in the public square are justifying or celebrating the murder of Jews. Dangerous antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories that over the past decade have already fueled a cycle of hate crimes and violence—including the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history in Pittsburgh—have been mainstreamed by too many political leaders, civil society influencers, social media platforms, and others.
In recent weeks, escalating federal actions have used the guise of fighting antisemitism to justify stripping students of due process rights when they face arrest and/or deportation, as well as to threaten billions in academic research and education funding. Students have been arrested at home and on the street with no transparency as to why they are being held or deported, and in certain cases with the implication that they are being punished for their constitutionally-protected speech. Universities have an obligation to protect Jewish students, and the federal government has an important role to play in that effort; however, sweeping draconian funding cuts will weaken the free academic inquiry that strengthens democracy and society, rather than productively counter antisemitism on campus.
These actions do not make Jews—or any community—safer. Rather, they only make us less safe.
We reject any policies or actions that foment or take advantage of antisemitism and pit communities against one another; and we unequivocally condemn the exploitation of our community’s real concerns about antisemitism to undermine democratic norms and rights, including the rule of law, the right of due process, and/or the freedoms of speech, press, and peaceful protest.
It is both possible and necessary to fight antisemitism—on campus, in our communities, and across the country—without abandoning the democratic values that have allowed Jews, and so many other vulnerable minorities, to thrive.
We appreciate the civil society, academic, and local, state, and national leaders who are committed to seriously and thoughtfully addressing the threat of antisemitism. We remain committed to working alongside university leadership and public officials at every level to ensure policies and practices that protect the Jewish community as well as other marginalized communities and uphold for all people the principles of justice, fairness, and equal protection under the law. That is the only path to true safety.
CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.
This volume includes a foreword by Lynn Magid Lazar, Blair C. Marks, and Susan C. Bass, three former WRJ Presidents who also helped fund the book’s publication, and an afterword by WRJ Executive Director Emerita Rabbi Marla J. Feldman. Additionally, WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch wrote introductions to frame each section with WRJ resolutions and liturgical commentary.
Covenant of Justice is the sixth book in the Covenant book series, each containing a compilation of poems, prayers, and meditations written by women+ for women+ that elevate their voices in religious and spiritual realms. The prayers, poems, and reflections in the book address key topics, including racial equity, climate justice, gender equality, and reproductive rights. With a focus on action rooted in the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world), the collection serves as both an educational resource and a call to action.
“Covenant of Justice is a testament to the rigorous work that WRJ has led, in partnership with CCAR, to bring women and other marginalized voices fully into the religious life of our Reform Jewish community. This book, in addition to the full ‘Covenant’ series, showcases feminist perspectives too often left out of spiritual texts and interpretations. It is most fitting that this publication will have its first debut at our upcoming Social Justice Conference,” said WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch.
In 1919, the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS, now WRJ) asked CCAR to prepare a book of biblical selections and prayers for women called NFTS Books of Prayer. This book was eventually published in 1948 and later evolved into the series. “CCAR Press is honored to collaborate with WRJ in publishing of Covenant of Justice, which superbly continues the ‘Covenant’ series’ legacy of highlighting the voices of women from across the Reform Movement. We are proud of this partnership and know that the book will enrich our community for many years to come,” said Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, Central Conference of American Rabbis.
There can be no justice without poetry. This volume draws from thousands of years of Jewish tradition and the lives of Women of Reform Judaism to sing the song of justice for countless future generations,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center.
“What a treasure! In prayers and poems, the prophetic voices of women motivate us to act for justice. This book inspires and empowers,” added Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service.
Covenant of Justice: Prayer, Poems, and Meditations from Women of Reform Judaism is available for purchase at covenantofjustice.ccarpress.org
To request review copies, interview opportunities, or to book author events, please contact: Raquel Fairweather-Gallie, Marketing and Sales Manager, CCAR Press: rfairweather@ccarnet.org.
The Reform rabbinical association welcomed Rabbi Lyon to the CCAR Board of Trustees during the organization’s yearly Reform rabbinical convention.
March 24, 2025, Chicago, IL: The Central Conference of American Rabbis installed Rabbi David Lyon at the organization’s yearly convention, held this year in Chicago.
He has served on the CCAR Board of Trustees since 2015, in roles including member-at-large, Vice President of Financial Affairs, and President-Elect. He has contributed to the CCAR’s Continuing Rabbinic Education Committee, which resulted in a bylaw change with permanent continuing education expectations for all CCAR members; helped re-envision a new collaborative approach to CCAR’s development department, increasing CCAR revenue and securing major gifts; and chaired a Task Force on Admissions that reset rules for admissions to CCAR for ordained rabbis of non-HUC seminaries, among many other substantial contributions to the Reform rabbinate.
“Serving on the CCAR Board is an honor and a natural extension of my rabbinate. The conversations and decisions made by the CCAR Board impact our Reform colleagues in all the diverse places and ways they serve. I am honored to lead the 2025–2027 CCAR Board and Reform rabbinate of over 2,200 rabbis to listen to their needs, prepare them for an ever-changing landscape, and to provide rabbinic education, counsel, and tools. Just as I am privileged to serve the Houston Jewish community, I am blessed to serve my colleagues through the CCAR, the home for excellence in Reform rabbinic leadership, now and in the future.And, being from Chicago and being installed in Chicago, surrounded by hundreds of my rabbinic colleagues feels like a full-circle Jewish moment.” Ordained in 1990 at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Rabbi Lyon has served as Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel for twenty-one years and previously served Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing, Michigan, and Temple Shalom in Dallas, Texas.
“Rabbi Lyon has been a stabilizing and calming force for the CCAR during his decade-long commitment to the CCAR Board. He leads with respect and integrity, is open to a diversity and plurality of viewpoints, and embraces new ways of thinking and collaborating while respecting tradition and always remaining grounded in Jewish values. He takes seriously the future of the rabbinate and needs of younger rabbis beginning or in the middle of their rabbinic journey while ensuring that rabbis in all phases of their careers have the tools and support they need,” said CCAR Chief Executive Rabbi Hara Person.
Rabbi Lyon is the 66th President in the 136-year history of the CCAR, succeeding Rabbi Erica Asch. He resides in Houston with his wife, Lisa. Together they have four grown children and four grandchildren.
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The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is the Reform Rabbinic leadership organization. The CCAR strengthens the Jewish community by providing religious, spiritual, ethical and intellectual leadership and wisdom. CCAR and its members lead the Reform Movement on important spiritual, social, cultural and human rights issues, as it has done since 1889. CCAR also is the center for lifelong rabbinic learning, professional development, and resources for the more than 2,200 rabbis who serve more than 2 million Reform Jews throughout North America, Israel and the world. Since its founding, the CCAR has also served as the primary publisher of the Reform Movement through CCAR Press and its imprint Reform Judaism Publishing.
Contact:Tamar Anitai, CCAR Director of Strategic Communications, tanitai@ccarnet.org
The first half of this week’s parashah, P’kudei, sparkles. There’s blue, purple, crimson, silver, gold, copper, lapis lazuli, linen, stones, and metals, pomegranates and bells, ephods, and breastplates, all in service of divine worship. It’s breathtaking, inspirational, a gorgeous description of the people at their best, joined in service to Adonai. Just as Adonai had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work. And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks—as Adonai had commanded, so they had done—Moses blessed them (Exodus 39:42–43). All those colors and glittering items—it’s a breathtakingly beautiful picture of community building and hope for a new future.
P’kudei is a parashah about beauty and sparkle, but it is also about change: how to set up a new system, how to plan for the future, how to do it right and well, how to manage change from one reality to the next. Once the items are all in place, as the parashah continues, the work of managing the practices of the Priesthood begins. The Israelite people are in flux, transitioning from one kind of existence to another—there are new rules and processes to learn.
This dual narrative of change, of great inspiration and hope paving the way for the detailed project management of the priesthood, feels familiar. We became rabbis because we were motivated to serve, because we were inspired by a rabbi who made a difference in our lives, because we want to make a difference. We had a Moses in our lives who galvanized and blessed us. Our motivations are divine; but when the real work begins, it’s often not so pretty anymore. There is great purpose, but often, also great strife. The elevated striving for holiness that once called us is intertwined with the nitty gritty of the everyday, the processes and rituals that make up the quotidian, grounded nature of our work. We sometimes struggle to remember why we do what we do.
We are living in a time of tremendous change and upheaval, of challenge and loss, but also opportunities for growth and the creation of new models. Of course, many of your communities are healthy and highly functional; but in some places, we are seeing a misalignment of expectations and goals between rabbis and leadership. We are seeing greater conflict between rabbis, and between rabbis and lay people. We are seeing the corporatization of congregations that often creates a situation in which rabbis are treated as commodities, and sometimes even as easily disposable. The result can include burnout, resentment, a questioning of career choices. And none of this is happening in a vacuum. As our colleague Shirley Idelson recently articulated, “Most congregations, and nonprofits in general, just weren’t designed for the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, polarization, and pressures of our world today.”
I’m pleased to share that we are taking significant steps institutionally to address some of these challenges. I’m not going to promise that it’s all going to get miraculously better or that it will happen quickly. We know that culture change takes time. We are early in the process, so I don’t have a lot of details yet, but I am very grateful and encouraged by the willingness of my partner and friend Rick Jacobs and his team at the URJ to enter into deep, difficult conversations about what we can to do address these challenges systemically. The ACC is also part of this work—and let me take a minute to welcome our partner, Cantor Seth Warner from the ACC, who is here as our guest—thank you for joining us. These challenges affect us all, and we will be more effective working on them together.
Another new initiative related to these challenges is a recently created working group, chaired by Ron Segal and Elyse Frishman, on retiree/successor relations and congregational transitions. The goal of this group is to help rabbis and congregations with intentional and healthy leadership transitions, so that if and when there are conflicts, they can be productively addressed. This working group is currently in a study phase and will be launching their work in the next year. You will hear more about both of these generative and hopeful initiatives as they move forward.
I’m going to prod and push a bit today, not because we are not all doing great work already, but because there is more to do, always more to do. And with the bird’s eye view that I have of the rabbinate, I want to urge us all to be aware of our role in this tension between change and statis, so that we can keep growing and evolving. In the midst of external forces that challenge us, we still have a choice about how we respond.
We rabbis cannot be so naive or hubristic to believe that all of this is on them—the congregations and organizations and lay people we work with or on the other rabbis we work with. I’m not defending bad behavior. The CCAR is committed to working with our Movement partners to enhance our mechanisms for dealing with these challenges. But there are situations in which we also have to take some responsibility—it’s rarely all on them.
The role of the rabbi is changing, and we need to change with it. In a time of great flux and change, each of us must ask ourselves: “What am I doing to create an adaptive rabbinate? Am I learning to deepen my self-reflection skills? Have I taken a class in management, in supervision? Am I being savvy, strategic? What tools do I need in order to be so? We each possesses our own individual rabbinic mishkan. It is up to each of us to bring to that personal mishkan the gifts and offerings that help with ongoing building. The CCAR offers classes and trainings to help move us out of statis into growth, and there are other places to turn to as well, such as HUC-JIR’s Z-school. Some of us can learn in person at a local university, while others will find an online course. Maybe a coach is the way to go. Whatever the path, it is incumbent on each of us to keep learning and growing and expanding our rabbinic toolkit.
Change is needed in other areas of our rabbinic lives. How we speak to each other as colleagues matters. For God’s sake, and I literally mean for God’s sake when I say that here to you, can we not do better with each other? Please do better. Please. We need to model menschlichkeit. We need to show the best of what a rabbi can be. Yes, we are sometimes caught in the crosshairs of projection and transference from those we serve. But that is not a license to model similar bad behavior in our interactions with one another. Think about new rabbis just starting out and what kind of picture they’re getting of rabbinic interaction on our Facebook page. Frankly, the amount of time that Erica spends, that I spend, that our moderators spend, managing bad behavior on Facebook is ridiculous, and when we spend time managing Facebook behavior, it means we’re not spending our time serving and strengthening CCAR rabbis.
There are other ways we need to keep changing as well. CCAR may have been in the forefront of culture change by passing a resolution in 1990 from the Ad Hoc Committee on Homosexuality and the Rabbinate stating, “The committee urges that all rabbis, regardless of sexual orientation, be accorded the opportunity to fulfill the sacred vocation that they have chosen.” But just because openly gay and lesbian rabbis were allowed to join the CCAR and go through Placement didn’t mean the door was held open with welcome and warmth. A door can be unlocked and still be slammed in someone’s face. We know how difficult it was for gay and lesbian rabbis to find positions, especially in the early years, and to be treated and mentored appropriately, to be trained for success. In 2024, gay and lesbian rabbis are among senior rabbis of major congregations throughout North America, as well as solo pulpits and in every other swath of the rabbinate. But we can’t pat ourselves on the backs for that. Today, we face additional changes in our rabbinic landscape, with the ordination of trans, nonbinary, and gender-fluid rabbis, as well as rabbis who are Jews of Color. And though some are finding positions, some of these new (and not so new) rabbis are not getting hired. It is our job—your job—yes, those of us here, to change the narrative. It is upon us to hire, to mentor, and to supervise with respect and equity. It’s not their problem, it’s our problem. We cannot abandon these rabbis and the Torah they bring to our community.
While I’m on the subject of ordination, I want to acknowledge the work that HUC-JIR has been doing in creating new ordination certificates and ritual around that. Though I believe that we earn our s’michah every day in the field, regardless of who signed it and regardless of the language used within it, we are also people who appreciate the power of language, symbolism, and ritual. Receiving new ordination and/or a new certificate is profoundly moving to many. I want to thank and credit our colleague, Mary Zamore, who was the first to point out the gender disparity in our certificates, and to insist that something be done about that. Thank you, Mary, and thank you, HUC-JIR, for being responsive.
The ongoing work of revising our ethics system continues every day. With the conclusion of the work of the Ethics Task Force, led by Nicki Greninger and Amy Schwartzman, we are currently working on a two-year implementation timeline that includes voting later this spring on new changes to the Code, with additional changes to be presented next year. Tom Alpert, as chair of the EPRC, is doing tremendous work on these Code changes along with committee members. Some process changes that did not require a vote are already in place. Having just spent a few days in a retreat with the Ethics Committee, I am so impressed with the seriousness and thoughtfulness that imbues the work of the committee, with huge gratitude to outgoing chair Ana Bonnheim and incoming chair Loren Filson Lapidus. You should also know that, every year, an ever greater percentage of our budget goes into managing an always evolving ethics system, something we should be proud of, even as it presents a serious financial challenge.
I can’t mention every committee or task force chair, and every committee or task force member, every contributor to a book or solicitor for the annual campaign, everyone who has served on an IGT or TRaC team, for a wonderful reason, which is that roughly 600 members volunteer for the CCAR, in one way or another, each year. Please hear my gratitude and appreciation; each and every one of you makes a difference.
I must say a word about CCAR President Erica Asch, who is not only an amazingly thoughtful board president, but who has also become a friend and trusted advisor. While we were together in Israel in November, someone called us Harica, and we’re both now very proud to go by that name. I am also indebted to the rest of the board, whose commitment to the well-being of the CCAR and our members, is really incredible. Thank you, thank you.
We also have an amazing and committed staff at the CCAR, and none of what we do would be possible without them. I am grateful to our Rabbinic Ethics department, David Kasakove and Cara Raich, for their commitment to our mission of continual improvement, compassion for all, and greater efficiency. Thank you to the CCAR Press, which continues to bring us important resources and meaningful content, led by Rafael Chaiken, with Annie Villareal-Belford, Debbie Smilow, Chiara Ricisak, and Raquel Gallie-Fairweather. Thanks to Tamar Anitai, our Director of Strategic Communications, who juggles so many platforms and projects in order to enable us to communicate with you and hear from you. We have a fantastic team in Rabbinic Career Services, with thanks to Leora Kaye and Alan Berlin, assisted by Rodney Dailey, who have transformed our service both to CCAR rabbis and to employers. Thanks to our Development team, led by Rachel Perten, who just joined us in January, and is assisted by Samantha Rutter and Sarah Stern, their hard work helps us offer so much to you. Laurie Pinho, our COO and CFO, is the CCAR magician who holds us all together and somehow makes it all work, and for that I am extremely grateful, with thanks also to Jaqui Dellaria, who assists Laurie. I would not be able to function without Rosemarie Cisluycis who not only is a fantastic assistant, but also makes me laugh when I really need it. And of course, tremendous thanks for Betsy Torop and Julie Vanek for the incredible work they do creating programming all year round and for working with an incredible convention committee to put on this tremendous production for us all. This year, Betsy and Julie turned on a dime and put in untold additional hours, creating programming to respond to October 7 and its wide-ranging impact on each and every CCAR rabbi, while simultaneously still running the existing programming they already had planned. That was and remains truly remarkable. Thanks too to Ariel Dorvil, who works with Betsy and Julie all year long, and is here to assist Laurie behind the scenes this week. I am grateful to my mentor and friend Steve Fox, who is always there when I need him, and not there when I don’t; what more can you want from an emeritus. Everything we do at the CCAR is truly a team effort, and I am very grateful for the privilege of working with this amazing team. When you see any of the CCAR staff over the next days, please thank them. And if you haven’t met a staff member before, please introduce yourself.
There’s a lot about the work we rabbis do that doesn’t sparkle. Hope can be elusive, and so much of our work is downright hard and even painful. And it has gotten so much harder since October 7. The joy we anticipated in celebrating Simchat Torah, the post-chagim relief and break that we badly needed ripped away. The pain of waking up on October 7 and knowing that nothing would ever be the same, not for our Israeli family, friends, and colleagues, and not for any of us.
As soon as I could, on October 7, and then into the weeks that followed, including during the November and January trips we took to Israel, I would speak to our Israeli colleagues, trying to provide solace and support. And so many of them asked me, how are you doing? How are our American colleagues managing? At first, I was surprised, because of course we weren’t the ones who had been attacked on October 7. We weren’t the ones sending off our beloveds into harm’s way. We weren’t the ones doing, as one Israeli colleague told, more funerals than she’d ever done in her whole career. But it was a compassionate question that spoke to how we were all in this together, albeit in different ways. And it’s true—those of us serving outside of Israel have been in the trenches dealing with unprecedented levels of antisemitism and hate in the last months. In stark contrast to the beauty of P’kudei, you’ve been dealing with the ugliness of antisemitic graffiti, bomb threats, death threats, the fear of physical violence, protests, hate-filled messaging. Security has been ramped up at your synagogues, on your campuses, at your institutions, and in some cases, at your private homes. We have all lived with the threat of violence in a new way since October 7. The feelings of isolation and abandonment by our former allies has been especially painful. And so many of you, despite all of that, have risen to the challenge of this moment not by responding to hate with more hate, or violence by more violence, but by trying to be your best thoughtful, compassionate, strategic selves, being there for those who need your reassurance, building bridges where possible, and trying to walk a very fine line between your love and concern for Israel and the imperative to continue engaging with diverse local communities. I have great admiration for the ways in which you are navigating this time, and know how hard it is.
Honestly, and if I may get a bit personal, it’s been an excruciating time for me as well. What I needed to do on October 7 was very clear—to reach out to Efrat Rotem and Ayala Samuels from MARAM, as well as our other Israeli colleagues, and offer support, to provide you with resources, put out a statement in support for Israel and the hostages, arrange opportunities to process, and coordinate with our Reform partners here and in Israel. But every morning since October 8, I’ve woken up thinking: who am I going to disappoint today? We’ve signed on to too many statements, and not enough. We’ve said the wrong thing, or not said enough. We’ve done too much, and too little. We’ve been too far left, and too far right. It’s exhausting.
We, the Jewish community and even more explicitly, the rabbinic community, are allowing ourselves to be pulled apart by a false binary in which words are stripped of nuanced meaning and have become empty slogans. Even our collectively diverse and cherished identities vis-à-vis Israel have been turned into cudgels on the one hand and epithets on the other. There are so many ways to be Zionist, pro-Israel, and pro-peace, none of which ought to be mutually exclusive. We must not give in to the impulse to behave as if a person whose Zionism does not look like mine, whose support for Israel doesn’t look like mine, whose criticism of Israel doesn’t look like mine, or whose peace advocacy doesn’t look like mine is my adversary. Chevrei, we must not turn each other into enemies when we have a real enemy out there; we must not react to our children as if they are our enemies, when our real enemies are outside knocking at the door. The moment we are living in is not a binary reality. We can and indeed we mustdisagree. It’s important to listen and learn from each other, even when, or perhaps, especially when, there is so much at stake. Who among us possesses absolute truth? In this time of complexity, we have to develop a tolerance for not having all the answers. We have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable with ideas and perspectives that challenge us. We are stronger when we can listen with open hearts to ideas that may feel wrong and even dangerous—either we will learn something important, or we won’t; but either way, we remain in conversation.
We are a rabbinic organization, and that has been our focus point these past five months. Since October 7, our job has been to support our rabbis in Israel and the Israeli Reform Movement. It is perhaps a narrow lane, but it is our lane. And we have been busy in that lane, sometimes visibly, and sometimes quietly behind the scenes. We have provided financial and emotional support for our Israeli colleagues, including making available the services of our on-staff counselors, Don Rossoff, Dayle Friedman, and until he retired, Rex Perlmeter. The CCAR has been to Israel twice since October 7, spending time with our Israeli colleagues, with leaders of the Reform Movement, and with both North American and Israeli HUC-JIR students, showing our love and support for them, and seeing Israel at this moment through their eyes. It has been powerful, meaningful, and heartbreaking. We have studied together, we have prayed together, we have cried together, and yes, sometimes even laughed together. And that has been the point—to be together, to find the points of connection even where we may disagree. In this moment, what ties us together matters more than what separates us. (And by the way, we are already planning our next trip with our travel partner J2 for next January. Save the date.)
Last February in Tel Aviv, I stood in front of you and spoke about the complex texture of my lifelong relationship with Israel. I’m not going to rehash what I’ve already said except to say again that Israel is in my bones, it’s in my heart, it’s a deep part of what makes me who I am. Last year, I said that Israel is a place that will break your heart, and today I will say that again, and add also that today my heart breaks forIsrael.
This war needs to end. And the hostages must come home. It certainly seems like we need a strategic solution, not a military one. I’m not a military expert, nor a statesperson, but I am a Jew, a rabbi, and an ohevet Yisrael. Because I love Israel, I worry about the long-term costs of this war that seems increasingly unwinnable—the cost to Israel and its people, to the Jewish people worldwide, and to the Palestinian people. Because I love Israel, I worry that we are getting further and further away from a viable future that makes any sense, further and further from a future that is in any way aligned with the values we espouse when it comes to all other things we care about.
Let us ask ourselves: How can we support Israelis, our friends, our family, our colleagues, while not supporting the most right-wing government in the history of Israel? How do we walk that tightrope? Our colleagues and our Movement in Israel are fighting against this government every day; we must not abandon them. Opposing this government is a battle for Israel, for our MARAM colleagues and the communities they serve, forthe Israeli Reform Movement, and for our cherished values. Please understand that this is not about simplistic morality, it’s about love for Israel.
Next month we will read in the Haggadah:
At the very hour that the Egyptians were drowning, the angels wanted to sing before the Holy Blessed One. God said to them: “My children are drowning in the sea — yet you would sing in My presence!
The angels watch as the Egyptian soldiers plunge into the sea behind the Israelites. Their hearts full of thanksgiving, they yearn to sing of triumph, a release from pain and oppression.
But God interrupts, reminding them that the Egyptians too are God’s children. Asking the angels to feel empathy for their enemies goes against their every impulse. If the angels had difficulty not taking pleasure in the suffering of their enemy, how much harder this is for us humans. To complicate matters, Rabbi Elazar posits that while God does not rejoice in the deaths of the wicked, God does cause us to rejoice. God recognizes that we are not divine. As humans, when we are hurt, there is a natural impulse to desire retribution. And yet, God’s example to take no pleasure in the suffering of others presents us with a challenge: to hold ourselves to a higher standard.
To be human, created in God’s image, is to struggle, against all evidence to the contrary, to recognize the humanity of all God’s creatures. If God can see the humanity in all people, how can we not also aspire to do so? If God is pained at the deaths of all God’s children, we too must push ourselves to feel the pain of others, some of whom are our enemies, some of whom have caused unspeakable horror, but some of whom are innocents: children, women, the elderly. At our seder tables next month, we will rejoice as a people in our ongoing survival, generation after generation, despite those who would seek to destroy us. We will celebrate our communal freedom, and we will pray for the freedom of our people still held in captivity. We will focus on the “us-ness” of our story, that which makes us unique as the Jewish people. At the same time, we are invited to be God’s partners in responding to the pain of people who are not us, but are still God’s children. This is a difficult task, but if this is God’s struggle, shouldn’t it also be ours?
These are not easy days—not locally, not nationally, not in Israel, not around the world—and hope is hard to find. As a rabbinic body, no matter where or how your serve, we have no lack of rethinking to do. The givens we used to be able to rely on about our work, about our communities and our institutions, about Israel, about Jewish identity, are no longer relevant. With so much change and transition around us, we need to create new pathways and new models that will inspire and bring blessing upon us and those we serve. And indeed, we can find inspiration and right here in our midst. What incredible hope I see in the many CCAR rabbis who have traveled to Israel—whether with the CCAR, with our Movement partners, with your federations, on other rabbinic missions, and leading your own—to be present, bear witness, to volunteer, to stand in solidarity with Israelis. I see hope in the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who overnight turned their activism against a corrupt and ineffective government into creative and meaningful ways to serve their fellow citizens in a times of crisis—in agriculture, in hastily put together volunteer organizations, in situation rooms, in their kitchens, with their washing machines. Above all, as CCAR members, we can find hope in our MARAM colleagues and IMPJ leaders who have joined us here in Philadelphia and who will soon return to the communities they lead and serve. Exhausted though they must be, they continue to work tirelessly, to serve their own communities and to help colleagues whose communities are displaced. Even as they have comforted the dead, consoled the bereaved, and prayed with the injured, they have led their communities in prayer and in protest. Let us draw inspiration and hope from one another, this gathered group of colleagues from around the world, as we go forth from these days together, ready to build a compelling Jewish future—in Israel, in North America, and throughout the world.
The CCAR Ethics Committee respectfully submits this annual report for the calendar year January–December 2023.
Background
The ethics process is comprised of four phases: intake, investigation, adjudication, and post-adjudication.
When an ethics complaint is received, the Chair of the Ethics Committee, in consultation with the Ethics Committee (EC) as needed, decides in the first instance whether the complaint constitutes a “complaint” under the Code and should be accepted for further consideration. If the complaint, with sufficient detail, alleges conduct that, if true, would constitute a potential violation of the Code of Ethics, it is accepted for consideration and sent to the rabbi who is the subject of the complaint. After the rabbi responds in writing to the complaint, either a three-person Information Gathering Team, consisting of two rabbis and one lay leader with specific expertise relevant to the case, or a subcommittee of the EC, will investigate the relevant facts and circumstances. On an as-needed basis, the investigation is supported by outside experts in a field(s) related to the case.
Following its investigation, the Information Gathering Team issues a written report, after receiving and incorporating comments from the parties, that is sent to the Ethics Committee. After the complainant and the rabbi are given the opportunity to meet individually with the EC, the EC carefully reviews all documents submitted in the case, meets to deliberate, and issues a written decision setting forth either that the complaint in whole or in part is dismissed, or that the rabbi should be reprimanded, censured, suspended, or expelled. Where a decision imposes discipline, and after any appeals are heard and resolved before the CCAR’s Board of Appeals, if the decision is upheld, the rabbi then engages in the T’shuvah Rehabilitation and Counseling (TRaC) process in which either a single mentor or a three-member rabbinic team works with the rabbi to meet the requirements of that process: 1) unequivocal acknowledgement of responsibility for the harm done; 2) an acceptable expression of remorse to those who have been harmed; 3) demonstrated resolve never to repeat the offense; and 4) the making of restitution, where appropriate. Upon successful completion of the TRaC process, the rabbi’s adjudication is lifted and the rabbi is fully reinstated as a member in good standing of the CCAR. Each of the steps described here is detailed in the Code.
Case Overview
In 2023, the Ethics Committee handled thirty cases that were in at least one stage of the ethics process, from the filing of a complaint through TRaC. (In comparison, this is 20 percent (or five) more cases than in 2022.)
We received twenty-nine inquiries from individuals who considered filing complaints. As part of the intake process, the CCAR’s Ethics Advisor for Inquiries and Complaint Intake, Cara Raich, offers to meet via Zoom with potential complainants to orient them to the ethics process. In 2023, forty-seven meetings were held with potential complainants (some potential complainants asked to meet more than once). Over the course of the year, the EC received seventeen written complaints. Seven of these complaints were not accepted for further consideration as they did not state a claim under the Code or did not concern a CCAR rabbi. Of the ten complaints that were accepted, the following violations of the Code were alleged (in most instances, complaints allege more than one Code violation):
I.A. (family)—1 case
I.B. (bullying/intimidation/retaliation)—9 cases
I.B. (sexual misconduct)—3 cases
I.C. (financial)—3 cases
I.D. (plagiarism)—2 cases
I.E. (rabbinic commitment)—1 case
II.B.2 (rabbi emeritus)—1 case
II.C (relationships between rabbis in different communities)—1 case
II.C.5 (soliciting members)—1 case
III. (confidentiality)—1 case
V. (sexual boundaries, Type 1)—3 cases
V. (sexual boundaries, breach of committed relationship)—2 cases
V. (sexual boundaries, Type 2)—3 cases
In addition to inquiries from those who considered filing an ethics complaint, the ethics process encourages CCAR rabbis to confer confidentially with the chair of the ethics committee with respect to any concerns they may have about their own ethical conduct or that of colleagues. In 2023, the EC responded to forty-two inquiries from rabbis, usually with a Zoom consultation.
The most intensive aspect of the ethics process is the information gathering process. In 2023, eleven Information Gathering Teams were active with four final reports issued.
Following investigations, the EC issued twelve decisions: three dismissals, one reprimand, six censures, one suspension, and one expulsion. The decisions found that rabbis committed the following violations of the Code (in most instances, decisions found more than one violation):
I.B. (bullying/intimidation)—5 cases
I.B. (sexual misconduct)—2 cases
I.C. (financial)—1 case
I.D. (plagiarism)—1 case
II.B.1(a.)(b.)(f.)(Rabbi-Assistant/Associate Rabbi)—1 case
IV.C. (Gerut)—1 case
V. (sexual boundaries, breach of committed relationship)—1 case
V. (sexual boundaries, power differential)—2 cases
V. (sexual boundaries, Type 2)—1 case
VII.M. (failure to cooperate)—1 case
In addition to disciplinary decisions, during the ethics process the EC is called upon to issue a wide range of other written decisions. For example, in 2023, the EC found in four cases that a rabbi had satisfied the requirements of the TRaC process and lifted the sanction; lifted a condition of censure in one case; denied reconsideration of the dismissal of the case in two cases; and found that one complaint was unfounded and malicious under Section X of the Code.
Post-Adjudication
In 2023, ten rabbis were engaged in the TRaC mentoring process, which supports rabbis in the T’shuvah process. In two cases, after issuance of decisions finding a violation and imposing discipline, the rabbis, rather than appeal the decision or engage in the TRaC process, resigned from the CCAR, which resulted in an automatic expulsion from the CCAR.
One rabbi appealed a decision to the Board of Appeals, which affirmed the EC’s decision finding Code violations.
In two cases, complainants requested reconsideration of a decision that either dismissed a complaint in its entirety or in part. Requests for reconsideration are brought before the EC. In both cases, the EC’s decision was affirmed.
Communities Impacted
The Code applies to CCAR rabbis wherever they may be working. This year, decisions were rendered concerning eleven rabbis in synagogue settings and one rabbi serving in a non-synagogue setting.
Ethics Education
The Ethics Committee annually provides educational opportunities for rabbis and HUC-JIR rabbinical students to learn about the Code and the ethics process. In 2023, two webinars were held as part of the CCAR’s Continuing Rabbinic Education program. Also, via Zoom, the EC chair and the director of rabbinic ethics provided an overview of the Code for each senior class at each of HUC-JIR’s North American campuses, and a member of the EC, Darcie Crystal, taught students at the New York campus about ethical boundary violations that may arise within the context of pastoral care and counseling.
Volunteers and Staff
The work of the Ethics Committee could not be accomplished without the remarkable dedication and contributions of the volunteer EC members, Information Gathering Teams, and TRaC mentors. As well, the EC’s work relies on the support and collaboration with the Ethics Process Review Committee, which makes proposals for revisions to the Code voted on by the CCAR membership; the Ethics Task Force, which just completed its mission this summer by recommending a broad series of improvements to the ethics process; and the Board of Appeals, which hears appeals of the EC’s decisions.
Altogether in 2023, one hundred rabbis and lay leaders volunteered to support the CCAR’s ethics work:
Ethics Committee: Ana Bonnheim, Chair; Michael Friedman, Vice-Chair; Loren Filson Lapidus, Chair-Elect—15 members (14 rabbis, 1 lay leader)
Information Gathering Teams—30 members
TRaC Teams/Mentors—19 members
Ethics Process Review Committee: Tom Alpert, Chair—14 members
Board of Appeals: Nicole Auerbach, Chair—7 members
Ethics Task Force: Nicki Greninger and Amy Schwartzman, Co-Chairs—12 members and 3 ex-officio
The work of the Ethics Committee is supported by two dedicated staff positions:
David Kasakove, Esq., Director of Rabbinic Ethics
Cara Raich, LL.B, Ethics Advisor, Inquiries and Complaint Intake
In addition, Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, serves in an ex-officio capacity, and the CCAR provides essential administrative and management support to the EC. The EC’s work is supported by consultants and training through a grant from the SRE Network. Legal Services are provided on an as-needed basis by Mark Chopko, Esq., Chair, Nonprofit & Religious Organizations, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, and other consultants as necessary.
Respectfully submitted,
Rabbi Ana Bonnheim, Chair CCAR Ethics Committee
David Kasakove, Esq. CCAR Director of Rabbinic Ethics
Your presence is requested at the upcoming ordination of our newest Israeli colleagues. Please support them by joining on Zoom on Thursday, November 16, 2023, 5:00 PM IST/ 10:00 AM ET/ 7:00 AM PT.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis stands in solidarity with its members who serve in Israel. These rabbis are members of MARAM, the association of Reform Rabbis in Israel, our partner organization. Moreover, we stand in awe of our Israeli colleagues’ selfless service at this most tragic time in the history of the Jewish State. Reform rabbis in North America and around the world pledge support to our MARAM colleagues throughout the current crisis and beyond.
Even as our Israeli colleagues experience the personal trauma of the murder, injury, and abduction of their own family members, friends, and members of the communities they serve, even as they and their family members are called into service of the Israel Defense Forces, our Israeli colleagues are tending selflessly to the needs of their communities and the general public as well. MARAM members are standing with countless families at the graveside of a murdered loved one, praying with families of those who have been abducted, and caring for parents, spouses, children, and siblings of those who are serving Israel in harm’s way. These rabbis are providing the comfort and strength sorely needed at this terrible time.
In the wake of the brutal attack of October 7, some of our MARAM colleagues are serving communities that have been evacuated from their homes and dispersed throughout the nation; rabbis are traveling around the country to bury, console, and comfort their far flung congregants. Israeli Reform rabbis are lifting the voice of Torah to call for the swift return of captives. At the same time, they are spearheading efforts to provide traumatized evacuees with sorely needed material and spiritual support. And they are teaching their colleagues oversees by their example as they demonstrate what it means to show the fortitude and service in the face of crisis. Perhaps most important of all, our Israeli colleagues continue to lead their communities in Shabbat prayer, providing peace and hope to their communities and beyond.
As every rabbi knows, אם אין קמח אין תורה, “Where there is no bread, there is no Torah.”[i] Few MARAM colleagues are employed full-time by their communities. Many earn a significant share of their פרנסה, their livelihood, from simchas, officiating joyous occasions such as weddings and aliyot to the Torah. Understandably, few such celebrations are taking place in Israel now, and many of our MARAM colleagues have seem their income diminish significantly.
Since October 7, the CCAR has undertaken the responsibility of caring for our Israeli colleagues in a number of ways. We have sent emails of care and consolation, the CCAR board has made phone calls and texts, and our leadership has been in ongoing touch with MARAM leadership. We have offered crisis counseling with trained experts to our MARAM colleagues. We have designated emergency funding to several individual rabbis in dire financial circumstances.
The CCAR regularly gives its members the opportunity to donate to Rav L’Rav, our “Rabbi to Rabbi” program that provides supplemental support to MARAM, its members, and the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. These funds have just been shared with MARAM and IMPJ, offering some small subvention. Now, at the CCAR’s urging, MARAM launched a supplemental campaign to provide CCAR rabbis outside of Israel the opportunity to come to the aid of our colleagues at this time of need through becoming a Friend of MARAM. We are proud to say that 100% of the CCAR board has contributed to this important initiative. We urge all CCAR members outside Israel to participate generously.
We stand in awe of our MARAM colleagues, and send them our love, care, and utmost support. We will continue, as colleagues and friends, to try to ease the burden they are each carrying in these very difficult days.
Rabbi Erica Asch, President Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive Central Conference of American Rabbis
During this difficult time, we wanted to give you an update on the various ways in which MARAM is supporting its members, and to give you an opportunity to support our efforts. We are deeply moved by the desire to express your support in a concrete way.
MARAM rabbis face enormous challenges serving our congregations and wider Israeli society. Many of our rabbis are consoling numerous bereaved families and providing pastoral care. Many of our congregants are serving in the army in the north and south of Israel, and the anxiety and stress can be overwhelming. After the attack on October 7th, we saw a tremendous outpouring of volunteers in Israeli society. All of our congregations provide support for their members and for non-members such as collecting clothes and organizing food for soldiers and evacuees.
Our rabbis are overextended and each of them is also dealing with the personal stress that the situation has brought with it. We are constantly reaching out to our members. We hold a daily tefilla on Zoom, we also offer professional training to deal with specific issues arising from the crisis. We provide individual and group counseling for our members.
You all know how isolated rabbis can feel, therefore whenever we identify a need we respond as quickly as possible. For example, it was very important for us, when one of our members conducted a funeral for four members of one family, that he would not be alone carrying this burden, during and after. We have never had to confront so much grieving and sadness. Our WhatsApp group is an excellent support forum for our rabbis consulting each other, consoling each other, and encouraging one another.
We provided a shiur on the topic of pidyon shvuim—redeeming the captives—so that we could publicize a statement calling for their release grounded in Jewish sources. The daunting number of funerals in such an unprecedented situation demanded a workshop to review and rethink how we conduct these ceremonies. We were able to offer our members much needed professional on-the-job retraining.
More than ever we want to reinforce the teaching of every person being created in the image of God. Every single hostage is an entire world. Together with the Israeli Reform Movement we sent a letter to the families of the hostages, expressing our unconditional support, and calling, in the name of the Jewish value of k’dushat hachayim, the sanctity of life, for an unrelenting and urgent effort to release their loved ones. In this time of fear and calls for revenge many of our members are sounding a humanistic Jewish voice.
With your donation of $360 you become a Friend and supporter of MARAM.
Providing you with periodic updates on the ongoing revision of the CCAR ethics system is part of the commitment that we made to you when this process began. As we head into a new phase of this work, it is important to us to share another update as the Ethics Task Force completes its two-year review of the ethics system. We are also sharing some of the critical areas of focus that the Ethics Task Force has proposed that the CCAR create clear plans of action to address. The CCAR Board has now given approval for these proposals to be further explored, developed, and made concrete. A few of those areas include a new organization of the CCAR Ethics Code, changes to processes and structure, a revised approach to investigations, a new approach to a t’shuvah curriculum, and more.
For background: in May 2023, the Ethics Task Force completed its two-year mandate to review the ethics system and create recommendations for revisions, changes, and new ideas. We are very grateful to the Task Force for their hard work on behalf of the Conference.
The Ethics Task Force approached their work, at times with the help of outside consultants, by using a series of steps for transformational change:
1.Setting the Stage: As a group, they began their process by examining and identifying the role of the Ethics Task Force and the mandate they had been given.
2. Research: Once they set the stage for the work, they dove into research. They spent a great deal of time exploring the current CCAR Ethics Code and system, including studying the Alcalaw report.
3. Looking Outward: The goal of this step of their process was to look outside of the CCAR to see what we could learn from others. They learned from other professional groups’ ethics codes, such as those from the American Medical Association and the National Association of Social Workers, and other clergy ethics codes, including those of Jewish and non-Jewish clergy.
4. Looking Inward: In addition to “looking outward” at existing models for ethics codes and systems, they also spent time “looking inward”—dedicating themselves to developing a vision for what a modern rabbinic ethics system might include in order to foster safe, sacred, respectful, and inclusive communities. They learned from the current and past Ethics Committee chairs. They led a program at the 2022 CCAR Convention on the theme of confidentiality and transparency, and afterwards studied input from all the participants. In the fall of 2022, they conducted multiple ethics-themed webinars with CCAR members, to hear their input related to ethics themes. They conducted dozens of one-on-one conversations with CCAR members, and they also learned from the T’shuvah Task Force, based on the many hours of conversations with people who have felt harmed from the CCAR ethics system.
5. Looking Forward: The next step of their process was to do their best to envision the CCAR ethics system of the future and formulate recommendations for change. They examined areas like defining rabbinic ethics, ethics, process/procedures for the ethics system, alternative dispute resolution, and post-adjudication.
6.Moving Forward: This is the part of a transformational change process in which the vision is implemented. We are now beginning the process of moving forward by looking more closely at how to implement recommendations and educating the membership about the work of the Ethics Task Force.
7.Reflection/Revision is the last step of transformational change. The group noted that it is important to continually reflect and adjust along the way.
All of this in-depth work led to a set of conceptual proposals, which encompass changes to the Code, as well as changes to processes and structures.
In June 2023, the Ethics Task Force shared their proposals with the CCAR Board for an initial review. The Board has now given approval for these proposals to be further explored and developed. At the same time, a timeline is being developed to prioritize the proposals and determine what specific steps need to be taken to actualize them.
Some of the topics covered by these proposals include:
New organization of the Code
New language in certain segments of the Code
Removal of outdated language in the Code
A revised approach to investigations
A new approach to a t’shuvah curriculum
Timing: More detailed versions of these proposals will go back to the CCAR Board for approval before coming to the membership as a whole. Over the next year and a half, you will be invited into the educational sessions and programs related to these potential changes, as well as voting sessions. As before, there will be time ahead of each voting session to review the changes, ask questions, and make comments and suggestions. We are committed to making sure all members have time to understand the proposed changes and comment on them before we officially vote on the revisions.
We want to also note that as this work is happening, some members have raised concerns about additional areas of rabbinic conduct. These concerns are in some ways tied to our ethics system, and in some ways they are separate. We take these concerns seriously, and you will hear more about that in the months to come.
We are grateful to the Task Force for their hard work on behalf of the Conference. The members of the Task Force were:
Nicki Greninger, Co-chair Amy Schwartzman, Co-chair Julie Bressler Ken Chasen Leah Cohen Tenenbaum Laurie Coskey* Seth Goren* Bob Loewy* Jacqueline Mates-Munchin Jason Rodich Matt Soffer* Rachel Steiner (* Served on the Ethics Task Force for part of the two years.)
Tom Alpert, Chair, Ethics Process Review Committee Erica Asch, CCAR President, ex officio Andi Berlin, Past Chair, Ethics Committee, ex officio Ana Bonnheim, Chair, Ethics Committee, ex officio Lewis Kamrass, CCAR Past President, ex officio David Kasakove, CCAR Director of Rabbinic Ethics, ex officio Hara Person, CCAR Chief Executive, ex officio Cara Raich, CCAR Ethics Advisor, Inquiries and Complaint Intake, ex officio
We are additionally grateful that some members of the Ethics Task Force are willing to remain involved in this important work beyond their initial two-year commitment, as the proposals move ahead toward concretization.
We want to also note that the work of the Task Force could not have been done without significant support from SRE Network, whose investment in this process enabled the Task Force to meet twice in person, and also made it possible for the Task Force to gather the wisdom and guidance of key consultants.
Thank you for your continued support of this process. While we have already made many changes to our ethics code and process, we know the work is not yet finished. We are committed to continuing to engage in this work with a seriousness and integrity, to keep learning along the way, and to stay focused on the goal of having as strong and as fair an ethics system as possible.
Warmly,
Rabbi Erica Asch, President Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive Central Conference of American Rabbis
Reform Jewish publisher offers a mystical, imaginative new collection of Jewish short stories by Rabbi Zoë Klein appropriate for all ages.
New York, NY – May 2023 – CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, is pleased to announce the publication of the Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon: New Jewish Stories by Rabbi Zoë Klein. This is Rabbi’s Klein’s first collection of short stories and the first such book published by CCAR Press. The volume includes a foreword by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, rabbi emerita of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis and the author of many books, including God’sPaintbrush and In God’s Name. Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon is published by CCAR Press’s Reform Judaism Publishing imprint.
In Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon, Rabbi Klein invites readers of all ages on twenty-two magical, mystical journeys. The collection’s first part, “Candle: Stories That Shine New Light on Tradition,” explores Jewish texts and teachings from new perspectives. This section contains stories such as “Time Palace,” which presents a legend of how the Jewish people created Shabbat (inspired by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s metaphor that Shabbat is a palace in time) and features a world in which seconds, minutes, and hours have collectible shape and form. The second part, “Feather: Modern Stories That Take Flight,” explores identity and relationship through a modern lens, such as in “Allison Searches for Her Hebrew Name,” a story of self-discovery and the power names hold in Jewish tradition. The final group, “Wooden Spoon: Stories That Stir Food for Thought,” mixes story with philosophy in an attempt to taste the transcendent, showcased in tales such as “Radiant Window: A Zoharic Journey,” a search for one’s true calling interspersed with verses of the Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism.
Rabbi Klein’s stories take readers through the forests and small towns of Europe, the times of the Hebrew Bible, and various contemporary settings. Colorful characters abound, with the archangels, Jonah’s whale, evil magicians, inquisitive children, and many others making appearances. Throughout, Rabbi Klein highlights essential components of living a meaningful Jewish life and encourages empathy, faith, fearlessness, and curiosity. Whether you’re a rabbi, cantor, or educator—the storytellers of our community—or simply a story lover, this book is sure to stir your heart and inspire your spirit.
Rabbi Klein pursued the rabbinate out of a passion for ancient texts, mythology, liturgy, and poetry, which remains evident in her roles as a clergy member and author. Rabbi Klein has served Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, CA, since 2000 and was both associate rabbi and director of adult education prior to assuming her current position as senior rabbi. In addition to Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon, Rabbi Klein is the author of the novel Drawing in the Dust (Gallery Books, 2009), a children’s story The Goblins of Knottingham: A History of Challah (Apples & Honey, 2017), and The Scroll of Anatiya (Wipf and Stock, 2009). Rabbi Klein’s writing is included in Teen Texts, Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation and the CCAR Press titles The Sacred Exchange: Creating a Jewish Money Ethic (2019) and The Torah: A Women’s Commentary (2008). Her poems and prayers are used in houses of prayer around the world.
Rabbi Rachel Timoner, author of Breath of Life: God as Spirit in Judaism, says, “Rarely are we gifted with a glimpse of such expansive imagination that our world opens up and everything suddenly seems possible. These stories are exhilarating and magical, playful and profound, moving and visionary. They are portals into worlds—both breathtakingly new and resonantly familiar—for us, the Jewish people, to inhabit. I will be teaching these stories, reading them to my congregation, and including them in my sermons. And so will every rabbi you know. Mark my words: they’re going to change our world.”
“‘Magical’ is the only word for Rabbi Zoë Klein’s gathering of wise, deep, whimsical stories,” says Rabbi Edward Feinstein, author of The Chutzpah Imperative and Tough Questions Jews Ask. In the tradition of the greatest of our rabbinical teachers—who used imagination to engage the mind, heart, and spirit of our people—Rabbi Klein’s stories open our eyes, touch our souls, and invite us into a world of enchantment and wonder. This is a book to be cherished for the generations.”
“In Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon, Rabbi Zoë Klein offers magical stories filled with wisdom to awaken our hearts, enchant our souls, and open our minds,” says Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi and To Begin Again. “Mystical sparks infuse the mundane until the whole world begins to shimmer. This book is a blessing you will want to share with friends, children, students, and mentors, a work that will introduce you to new and healing visions of Judaism, self, humanity, and our world.”
“We are proud to publish this new collection from acclaimed author Rabbi Zoë Klein,” said Rafael Chaiken, director of CCAR Press. “We know that individuals looking for a meaningful read—as well as clergy who are always seeking more stories to tell—will connect deeply with this book, the first collection of fiction from CCAR Press.”
Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon: New Jewish Stories is available at candle.ccarpress.org.
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To request review copies, interview opportunities, or to book author events, please contact: Raquel Fairweather Marketing and Sales Manager, CCAR Press rfairweather@ccarnet.org P. (212) 542-8800
