Rabbi Deborah Waxman, who was appointed head of the Reconstructionist movement and president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), the movement’s seminary, last year, is both the first woman and the first lesbian to lead a Jewish seminary and a major Jewish movement.
Rabbi Waxman, who is based in Wyncote, Pa., was in Toronto last month visiting the Reconstructionist synagogue Congregation Darchei Noam, where she met with congregants and discussed the future of the movement. She also attended the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association’s 40th annual convention, which was being held in Toronto.
The CJN spoke to her about social justice issues, intermarriage, the movement’s challenges and her sense of responsibility as its leader.
Can you describe the process that saw you become head of the movement?
I was appointed president by the board of the RRC in October 2013, officially began in the role in January 2014 and was inaugurated in October 2014.
In June 2012, the Reconstructionist movement moved beyond the classical denominational model and combined the congregational union with the leadership training institution that the college is, so now it’s one organization that works together as the agency responsible for promoting a Reconstructionist approach, fostering congregations and training leaders.
I read that you visited 14 congregations in your first nine months as RRC president. What’s been your largest takeaway from that experience?
Now, 15 months in, I’ve been to 27 congregations, and by the end of the program year, I’ll have been to over 30.
My biggest takeaway is the vitality, energy and deeply caring community I consistently find in congregations organized around Reconstructionism. I find the people who belong to these communities take a sense of joyful obligation around creating a Jewish community they want to live in.
These are communities that are always looking to increase opportunities to celebrate together, support each other through crises, learn and grow together and be change agents in the world – there’s a strong tikkun olam component in Reconstructionism. My responsibility as leader of the movement is to make sure the resources gathered at the rabbinical college are able to support these efforts, to connect congregations and make it possible to share best practices among congregations at similar points in their life cycle – for example, for two congregations facing hiring their first rabbi to be able to speak to one another.
In what ways has Reconstructionist Judaism been a trailblazer for social justice issues like women’s rights and LGBTQ rights?
On a national movement level, we’re looking to make a contribution that isn’t fulfilled by other Jewish organizations, such as promoting conversations about income inequality in North America and Israel. On a local level, many congregations are involved in things like building partnerships through multifaith or legislative-based organizations. And most Reconstructionist synagogues have some kind of tikkun olam committee. For example, in Portland, Oregon, they’re working on environmental justice issues.
The movement has also been committed to trying to find ways for women to be included in Jewish life and leadership. There’s a commitment to democracy and egalitarianism – to finding a way for all Jews to participate meaningfully in Jewish life.
We were the first seminary to admit gay and lesbian Jews to study for the rabbinate, and we developed protocols for welcoming queer Jews and acknowledging that children raised by one Jewish parent in an interfaith household can have an affirmative and positive embrace of a Jewish identity and a place in the Jewish community. Reconstructionism adopted a policy on patrilineal descent in 1966, meaning a child raised in a Jewish home with one Jewish parent is considered a full Jew. We have an expansive view of Judaism that aims to draw people in.
What’s unique about the Reconstructionist approach to intermarriage?
I believe that in the modern era, where there’s such an incredible embrace of Jews in North America and, on this continent, no particular barriers to our full participation in mainstream society – for sure, with some exceptions – any expression of Jewishness is a choice. And we have to help people understand all the opportunities and affirm that there are diverse expressions and practices of Jewish identity. We can take none of it for granted.
It’s just so easy for Jews in North America to disappear into the mainstream. So I, and the movement as a whole, are most interested in building up rich expressions of all choices than we are in policing boundaries, in affirming people who embrace Jewish families and practices, even if they don’t adhere to strict halachic categories. We should support their efforts to find a deeper connection. It’s extraordinary the Jews and Jewish leaders that emerge from people who’d otherwise be excluded if we took the narrowest definition of Jewish.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing Reconstructionist Judaism?
The openness of our movement is an extraordinary gift and has allowed for flourishing opportunities that Jews a couple centuries ago couldn’t have imagined, but it also creates a challenging environment. There’s a whole restructuring going on in all sectors of society, including the changing nature of religious structures. Where 50 to 100 years ago, Jews were Jews whether or not they wanted to be, now I think there’s this moment of “Why belong to anything?” “Why should a synagogue belong to a denominational organization?” and for many people – especially young people – “Why be Jewish?” So I feel my work is about making the case not just for Reconstructionist Judaism, but for progressive Judaism and progressive religion at large.
In the United States, there’s definitely an ever-increasing divide between radical secularism and fundamentalism, so it’s a challenge to advocate for a progressive religious approach.
Have you noticed differences in Reconstructionist synagogues in the United States versus those in Canada?
I feel like in terms of the embrace of a Reconstructionist approach, there aren’t tons of differences. The same types of people tend to be drawn to the movement across the border. I think communities in both places want to be flag-bearers for progressive Judaism and I see a lot of shared enthusiasm in both Canada and the U.S.
How does being both a woman and a lesbian enable you to be a strong role model in the movement?
Being head of the movement is a tremendous honour, and I’m keenly aware that I’m a role model. I aim to fulfil this with as much humility as possible. Otherwise, I don’t see being a gay woman as having an impact. I’m aware that I’m the first, and people have been overwhelmingly excited and enthusiastic about my appointment.
This interview has been edited and condensed for style and clarity.
