A black woman's journey to the rabbinate in North Carolina

Here is a wonderful story. BTW, for those that may not know this, Hebrew Union College rabbinical students have to spend at least a year in Israel as part of their training. Stanton discusses her experiences in Israel in the article.

A black woman's journey to the rabbinate in North Carolina

By Joe Sterling
CNN

(CNN) -- When Alysa Stanton officially becomes a rabbi next month, she'll be walking into history.

She'll become the first African-American woman ever to be ordained as a rabbi and the first African-American rabbi to lead a majority white congregation, according to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Stanton, 45, will be ordained June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she received her master's degree from the HUC-JIR, which is the rabbinical school of the Reform movement. Then in August, she will begin her new job at Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, North Carolina -- long a Conservative synagogue and now affiliated with both the Reform and Conservative movements.

She describes her new position with great enthusiasm, saying the congregation -- while small -- has a lot of children, a sign of a bright future. And she says the congregation is vibrant and the region, where East Carolina University and a major medical center are located, is dynamic as well.

"My goals as a rabbi are to break down barriers, build bridges and provide hope," Stanton told CNN. "I look forward to being the spiritual leader of an inclusive sacred community that welcomes and engages all."

The HUC says the milestone reflects the diversity that permeates Jewish life.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/05/21/north.carolina.black.rabbi/index.html

Would you think about posting this in GD? It's a great story.

I just did. Thanks for the suggestion. Don't forget to K&R it in GD.

Thanks for posting it.

A truly great story, I hope she has a long and fruitful life in the Rabbinate and in NC!