How I Became a Jewish Professional

The path each of us chooses – where it starts, where it leads, and what happens along the way – is as unique as we are. My dad, z”l, had a desire for his path to intersect with his grandson’s, Sam, in a special way: by celebrating his second bar mitzvah at 83 together with Sam as he celebrated his first at 13. Sadly, my dad passed away before his path crossed with Sam’s in this way, but his wish gnawed at me.

Having grown up in a synagogue in which girls could not become bat mitzvah, I knew I had to meet this challenge, which set me on my own Jewish journey. To become a bat mitzvah, I would need to learn Hebrew. As luck would have it, the upcoming URJ Biennial was offering a special Hebrew class to celebrate publication of the forthcoming book, Aleph Isn’t Tough: An Introduction to Hebrew for Adults.

Although I was in the midst of a large freelance production project – most of my career was spent in advertising, producing television and radio commercials – I prepped my colleagues and headed off to the Biennial, where I enjoyed every minute and especially relished the adult Hebrew class. (In the years since, I’ve attended nearly 10 Biennials and become a real Biennial groupie.)

Unfortunately, upon my return, the work left behind in New York had not been done to my satisfaction, nor to that of the client. For the first time, I stepped back and asked myself a few questions: Is this the type of power I want? Do I want to be the one in full control of the production and its outcome? Does this work mesh with the Jewish journey I just started? Is this how I want to have a lasting impact? To all these questions, my answer was a resounding “No.”

In her d’var Torah on Parashat Korach, Rabbi Vered L. Harris writes that Korach’s actions are often interpreted as jealous behavior. But, she asks, what if his behavior reflects a feeling of helplessness, a loss of power? Was I now looking to regain a feeling of power of self?

Thus I began a new path.

In 2000, with the 11 other adults in my b’nei mitzvah class at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York, NY, and much guidance and teaching on the part of Cantor Bruce Ruben and Rabbi Scott Corngold, z”l, I celebrated my bat mitzvah, attaining the goal that had been nagging at me since my father’s death.

I then set out to meet with anyone and everyone in the Jewish not-for-profit world who would give me the time, asking and answering lots of questions along the way: What options were there for me? What did I want to do?

Fortunately, one of the people with whom I met was Rabbi Aaron Panken, z”l, who, at the time, was dean of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Equally fortuitous, he was looking for a partner – someone who could keep the daily life of the College-Institute going, freeing him up to travel and fundraise. He wanted someone who could think outside the box, so I took my skills as a producer and translated them to director of operations. Instead of props, I had elevators; instead of crew members, I had maintenance and administrative staff. Instead of  budgets I had…budgets; there’s no escape from those! Indeed, my work with Aaron was the start of a beautiful relationship.

It also enabled me to reach another of my goals – to sign-off my Friday emails with “Shabbat shalom,” helping me fulfill my own spiritual needs, right there at my desk. Most of all, as director of operations for 10 years, I made a meaningful difference in the day-to-day operations of the College-Institute, as well as in the lives of its students, faculty, and staff.

Although my husband Michael teases it was a costly decision for our family for me to go from a highly successful for-profit business to a Jewish not-for-profit organization, the change was the right one for me. Having been so blessed throughout my life, my work enabled me to give back to the Jewish community. What’s more, my spiritually rewarding journey has given me opportunities to offer respect to my ancestors and an example of a life well lived to my family.

This blog post is adapted from remarks delivered at Shabbat services at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York, NY, on Shabbat Korach, Friday, June 15, 2018.

Have something to say about this post? Join the conversation in The Tent, the social network for congregational leaders of the Reform Movement. You can also tweet us or tell us how you feel on Facebook.