THE FIRST WOMAN RABBI to head a Jewish congregational union and a Jewish seminary, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., became president and chief executive officer of Reconstructing Judaism in 2014. Reconstructing Judaism is the central organization of the Reconstructionist Movement. She has drawn on her training as a rabbi and historian to be the Reconstructionist movement’s leading voice in the public square.
Through visiting numerous affiliated congregations (more than 60 at last count), making public appearances in person and online, and in writing for the
Forward,
The Times of Israel,
The Philadelphia Inquirer,
HuffPost,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency and other news and academic outlets, Rabbi Waxman projects a vision of Judaism that embraces all people and inspires Jews to be strong allies to the most vulnerable among us.
Since Rabbi Waxman has assumed her leadership role, Reconstructing Judaism has undertaken major initiatives, including reimagining its rabbinical college’s curriculum, building even stronger relationships with affiliated congregational leadership, innovating Judaism for the 21st century and bolstering the organization’s ties to Israel. Under her leadership, Reconstructing Judaism hosted the largest convention in the movement’s history; developed a movement-wide convening on Israel post-October 7; and launched an online project, Evolve, which enables substantive Jewish learning, models nuanced and respectful discussion, and serves as an incubator for ideas that can positively transform Jewish life. Rabbi Waxman is creator and host of
Hashivenu, a popular podcast about resilience and Judaism.
She sits on the board of Repair the World and is Deputy Chair of the Ethics, Standards & Governance Committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Since 2002, Rabbi Waxman has taught courses at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College on Jewish thought and practical rabbinics. She is the Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Presidential Professor.
Waxman is a cum laude graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University, and graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She earned a Ph.D. in American Jewish history from Temple University.
In 2015, Rabbi Waxman was named to the annual “Forward 50” list of most influential Jews by the
Forward. In naming her to this list, the
Forward remarked: “In the long communal conversation over how to relate to Jews who marry non-Jews, those in the ‘be welcoming’ camp won a major battle this year, thanks in large part to Rabbi Deborah Waxman.”
