On Monday, May 23, Stephen Wise Temple Rabbi Sari Laufer and the Stephen Wise Temple Center for Jewish Life hosted Rabbi Carole Balin, Ph.D., in a webinar discussion as we celebrate 50 years of women in the American rabbinate.
With the anniversary of Rabbi Sally J. Priesand’s monumental 1972 ordination approaching, the rabbis reflected on their own careers, the journey to Rabbi Priesand’s ordination, Rabbi Balin’s forthcoming book, the centennial of the first public bat mitzvah, and the contributions women have made to the American Jewish community.
As we continue to celebrate a momentous anniversary for Judaism, we invite you to attend our June 3 Shabbat Evening services, which will feature a program entitled “70 Faces of Torah.” Our clergy will be joined by women rabbis from across Los Angeles as we celebrate and honor the impact women have made on the rabbinate and on American Judaism. Find out more here.
About Rabbi Carole Balin, Ph.D.: Rabbi Carole Balin, Ph.D., is known for her fresh ideas, her authenticity, and her way with words. She is chair of the board of the Jewish Women’s Archive, and Professor Emerita of Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, where she was the first woman at the campus to earn tenure. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College, she earned her doctorate at Columbia. She is currently writing a book about the bat mitzvah, the first of which occurred in the United States 100 years ago. She was also a classmate of CJL’s Rabbi David Woznica at HUC-JIR in New York.
About Rabbi Sari Laufer: Stephen Wise Temple Rabbi Sari Laufer was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles in May 2006. On the way to HUC, Rabbi Laufer graduated cum laude from Northwestern University (Go ‘Cats), and served as an Eisdendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. During her time at HUC in Los Angeles, Rabbi Laufer was awarded several academic prizes in Talmud and rabbinic literature, as well as HUC-LA’s Outstanding Female Student Award.