The Central Conference of American Rabbis, Reform Judaism’s rabbinic professional leadership organization, is home to more than 2,000 Reform rabbis across North America and beyond. And while Reform rabbis wear many hats, often at the same time—Torah scholar, officiant, pastoral counselor, chaplain, educator, organizational leader, activist—they also serve in a wider range of settings, changing the shape of the sacred work of the rabbinate with innovative new visions for Jewish communal life.
We’re proud to share the stories of CCAR members who are taking our ancient Jewish traditions and imaginatively and courageously building new programs, practices, collaborations, communities, and transformational approaches to Reform Judaism. We’re also sharing how, even in dark times, so many CCAR members find joy as rabbis, and we share their hopes for the future of the Reform rabbinate and Reform Judaism.
Rabbi Jessy Dressin ordained byHebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2012. After over a decade of working as a community rabbi, she founded Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh in Baltimore, reinvigorating a once-thriving landmark synagogue into a new center for both Jewish and local programming, learning, and connection.
Here, Rabbi Dressin discusses her entrepreneurial and innovative approach to building Jewish community and cultivating engagement.
How do you describe your rabbinate, and what makes it unique?
The through line of my rabbinate has been a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and disruption in an effort to ensure that Judaism and Jewish tradition can be relevant and resonant in the lives of those who are not connecting to the community in “traditional” ways. I’m deeply committed to the belief that meaningful Jewish engagement is about the real basics of Judaism: learning, practice, service, and kindness to others. I aspire to be a conduit to individuals and communities engaging deeply with the wisdom of Jewish tradition as both a voice and influence on how Jews and their loved ones move through the world today. I also like to think of myself as an agitator for the sake of heaven.
What is your rabbinic motto or words that guide your rabbinate?
“There’s Torah for that.”
Can you describe a way in which you’ve been innovative in your career?
I’ve been an entrepreneurial rabbi for thirteen years (it’s my b’mitzvah year of being a rabbi—my rabbinate is an adult!). I helped found Charm City Tribe, a nationally recognized model for 20s and 30s Jewish engagement in Baltimore and led it, along with other Jewish engagement initiatives over the eight years I was at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. Then I then wrote and implemented a Jewish educational strategy and served on the executive team as the rabbi on staff at Repair the World. I am now reactivating a century-old synagogue in West Baltimore as a place for Jewish learning, relationship, and community building. A close follower of Pew research and demographic trends, my entire rabbinate has been about serving the “periphery” in an effort to affirm that no person (due to identity, Jewish experience, etc.) is peripheral to their own lived experience.
How has your rabbinate evolved throughout your career?
I have been very lucky that my path as a rabbi outside of traditional spaces has really progressed in an ever deepening way. I wrote a rabbinic thesis in 2011–2012 about emergent strategies and models we might explore. I’ve had the opportunity to help support or launch efforts in all three program models and am currently working on an article to be published next year that reflects on that thesis thirteen years later and shares examples of what’s great that’s happening in response to those trends and behaviors.
I’ve also gone from being considered someone who was a bit hard to “box in” to a person who is tapped to present, share, and mentor around those who are looking for innovative Jewish programming and those who are looking to become rabbis outside of traditional spaces. In my own community, what was once looked at as a fad, narrow constituency or “alternative,” is now established, respected, and contributing in meaningful ways throughout the ecosystem of our local Jewish community and city.
What do people find unusual or surprising about your rabbinate?
My love of the beit midrash? My comfortability with being Rabbi Jessy. The fact that people who are often non-engaged or underrepresented in traditional Jewish spaces flock to my rabbinic leadership, programs, and initiatives. Maybe that many people who are not Jewish call me their rabbi?
What is the most rewarding aspect of your rabbinate?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my rabbinate is the fact that there are those who believe so much in my work that they’re providing me the support and resources to lead with real vision and without having to fit into a limiting framework. I can make a difference without barriers.
What brings you joy in your rabbinate?
I love learning, and I love chavruta. I love the rhythm of Jewish time and seasons and ritual and practice.
What excites you or makes you feel the most hopeful about the future of your rabbinate?
So many younger rabbis are seeing the potential to have a rabbinate outside of the traditional settings. I get excited when I see people taking ownership of their Jewish experience and growing in their confidence and competence to be able to be drivers of their own Jewish life.
