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Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D.
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. has hosted 51 episodes.
The first woman rabbi to head a Jewish congregational union and a Jewish seminary, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., became president of the organization now known as Reconstructing Judaism in 2014. Since then, as president and CEO, she has drawn on her training as a rabbi and historian to be the Reconstructionist movement’s leading voice in the public square.
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Rabbi Sandra Lawson
Rabbi Sandra Lawson has hosted 7 episodes.
Rabbi Sandra Lawson (she/her), a trailblazing leader, joins Reconstructing Judaism as its inaugural Director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Working with senior staff, lay leaders, clergy, rabbinical students and Reconstructionist communities, Lawson helps Reconstructing Judaism realize its deeply held aspiration of becoming an anti-racist organization and movement.
Lawson is a prominent figure, teacher of Torah, activist and thought leader. As one of the first African American, queer, female rabbis, she has consciously sought to alter the perception of what a rabbi — and the rabbinate — looks like. She is known for tackling difficult questions surrounding Jews and race in podcasts, essays, media appearances and speeches. A social media pioneer, Lawson models what it means to teach Torah in the digital space. She has built a following of more than 50,000 people on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. She is a sociologist, personal trainer, weightlifter, vegan, writer, public speaker and musician.
A 2018 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College graduate, from 2018 through early 2021 Lawson served as associate chaplain for Jewish life and Hillel Jewish educator at Elon University in North Carolina.