I recently moved from Atlanta, GA, where I was very involved in allyship with & advocacy for both Jewish & broader LGBTQIA+ community, to southern New Jersey. I'm still getting to know the social-political landscape of the suburban area where I serve as the only rabbi of the only synagogue in the township. I participated in township Pride celebration here, which included a flag raising ceremony (of a new, wholly inclusive flag) that was attended by the mayor, local city council members, chief of police & many officers, all of whom are supportive of diversity and inclusion. This is a different experience from living in the state capital & working with multifaith advocacy & outreach groups such as Faith in Public Life & Georgia Equality, who along with SOJOURN (Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity), ADL & JCRC, organized protests & lobbying days regularly. In Atlanta, I also served as the 2nd rabbi for education/outreach at a Reconstructionist congregation founded by Gay & Lesbian Jews in the 1980's. During my 2-year tenure (2019-2021), I participated in gender expansive life cycle celebrations including baby namings; B-Mitzvah; Hebrew name changes for teens, young adults & older individuals & conversions--as well as funeral & shiva services for LGBTQIA+ folks. Prior to joining this community, I served as a teacher & rabbi in Jewish day schools & summer camps, working primarily with middle & high school students & campers, staff & senior administration, to make those spaces safe & welcoming to LGBTQIA+ teens. I was also a faculty advisor for the GSDA club in the high school. Here in NJ, I serve a smaller, Conservative-affiliated congregation that was founded in 1980's as an egalitarian & progressive alternative to the larger, traditional Conservative congregations in the area; they always welcomed interfaith families & LGBTQIA+ folks as members. Inclusion is one of our congregation's core values that attracted me to apply for the position of rabbi in this community.

In addition to being a caring adult in the lives of countless teens who were figuring out how to come out to their parents & sometimes peers, I am the parent of now-adult child who identifies as Queer. It has been a privilege to accompany many LGBTQIA+ folks on their Jewish journeys during my 32 years in the rabbinate. I hope to be able to continue to serve in this way for many years to come.