Biography

The first woman rabbi to head a Jewish congregational union and seminary, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. (she/her), became president and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism in 2014. Since then, she has drawn on her training as a rabbi and historian to be the Reconstructionist movement’s leading voice in the public square. Rabbi Waxman projects a vision of Judaism that embraces all people and inspires Jews to be strong allies to the most vulnerable among us. Rabbi Waxman leads the Reconstructionist congregational union through close collaboration with the Board of Governors, the leaders and congregants of the nearly 100 affiliated Reconstructionist communities, and her extraordinary colleagues in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. She also serves as the sixth president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the movement’s sole seminary and a key part of the Reconstructing Judaism organization. This matrix of institutions has collaboratively achieved many milestones to support the movement leadership’s vision of 21st-century Reconstructionist Judaism. Rabbi Waxman is the creator and host of the podcast, Hashivenu: Jewish Teachings on Resilience. In connection with LGBT History Month 2020, she was named an LGBT History Icon.

Why I Serve on the JPro Board:

The combined caliber of the people drawn to JPro and the services and programming that the organization is deeply inspiring. I am honored to help nourish and support individuals drawn to service in the Jewish community.