Rabbi

You grew up in the North, where you also attended college and rabbinical school. This is your first pulpit and you have been with the congregation for five years. You believe in the prophetic tradition of Judaism that teaches Jews to be a light unto the nations and to care for those less fortunate than themselves. At the same time, you are concerned for your congregation's safety, both individually and as a whole. This is especially true having recently read about a synagogue which was bombed in another Southern community. You’ve also heard that in some communities, rabbis and their families have been specific targets of violence.

You believe it's your role at temple board meetings to both listen to what your congregants have to say, but also to be a teacher and leader, sharing with them relevant teachings from the Jewish tradition.

Preparation for taking on the role of your character:

  1. What values (be as specific as possible) are important to your character? What in this description made you draw those conclusions?
  2. What are your character's experiences/concerns (be as specific as possible)? What in this description made you draw those conclusions?
  3. Based on these values and experiences/concerns, would your character support a) home hospitality for civil rights activists and/or b) members supporting the protest?
  4. Return to the documents you read earlier and identify the most relevant documents and arguments based on what you know about your fictional character.
  5. Using both what you know about your fictional character and the arguments from the documents you read earlier develop your argument for the board meeting. You may use the space below to outline your argument.

Donate

Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women.

donate now

Get JWA in your inbox

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Rabbi." (Viewed on April 25, 2024) <http://jwa.org/node/11751>.