Rabbi Deborah J. Brin Jewish Ceremonies, Rituals & Pastoral Counseling ©2021 Rabbi Deborah J. Brin — Member: Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Originally from Minneapolis, MN, I was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Pennsylvania in 1985, and that same year received a Master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from LaSalle University. I have had a wonderfully varied career serving in rabbinic, pastoral and chaplaincy positions in many settings. I have been honored to study with wonderful teachers and colleagues, among them Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi,z’l, Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Sylvia Boorstein, my parents, Ruth F. Brin, z’l, Howard Brin, z’l, Dr. Judith Plaskow and the members of B’not Esh, a Jewish feminist spirituality collective founded in 1981. I was among the first 100 women to be ordained as a rabbi in the United States. I led the first women’s prayer service at the Wall in Jerusalem, in 1988, and it was because of what we did that day that the Israeli government made it illegal for a woman to sing aloud, wear a tallis (prayer shawl) or read from the Torah at the Wall. More than thirty years later, the Israeli government and Women of the Wall are still trying to work out a satisfactory way for women to pray, sing, wear a tallis and read from the Torah at the Wall. Among the first generation of lesbian rabbis, I have served congregations in Canada and the U.S. and have held chaplaincy positions at a college, a hospice, and at a Jewish life- care retirement community. Wherever I have gone and however I have been employed, my dedication to Judaism is contagious. I help Jews find their own gateways back to their heritage and welcome their non-Jewish partners, friends and extended family with friendly explanations of our ways. In September 2021 I was honored to be interviewed by Frank Graziano of Nuevo Mexico Profundo as one of 100 New Mexicans, ranging in age from twenty-something to ninety-something. These interviews represent a variety of New Mexican lifestyles and regions. The archive of the interviews will be housed at the Center for Southwest Research, and some will also be available on the website of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. Here is synopsis of those interviewed for the project. You can find my information on page 15; at some future date the full interview will be available for reading. I now work part time as a geriatric care manager. My hours of availability for rabbinic work are flexible depending on the needs of my care management clients. Please contact me and let me know how I can be of service to you or your family. Of all the privileges and duties that come with being a rabbi, I feel most at home creating meaningful life cycle events. From baby-namings to funerals and everything in between, it is a privilege to fashion personalized ceremonies for people of all ages, gender identities, and intimacy constellations.
Rabbi Deborah J. Brin Albuquerque, New Mexico Jewish Ceremonies, Rituals & Pastoral Counseling
With Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z’l, January 2006
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Photo credit F. Graziano
Originally from Minneapolis, MN, I was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Pennsylvania in 1985, and that same year received a Master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from LaSalle University. I have had a wonderfully varied career serving in rabbinic, pastoral and chaplaincy positions in many settings. I have been honored to study with wonderful teachers and colleagues, among them Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi,z’l, Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Sylvia Boorstein, my parents, Ruth F. Brin, z’l, Howard Brin, z’l, Dr. Judith Plaskow and the members of B’not Esh, a Jewish feminist spirituality collective founded in 1981. I was among the first 100 women to be ordained as a rabbi in the United States. I led the first women’s prayer service at the Wall in Jerusalem, in 1988, and it was because of what we did that day that the Israeli government made it illegal for a woman to sing aloud, wear a tallis (prayer shawl) or read from the Torah at the Wall. More than thirty years later, the Israeli government and Women of the Wall are still trying to work out a satisfactory way for women to pray, sing, wear a tallis and read from the Torah at the Wall. Among the first generation of lesbian rabbis, I have served congregations in Canada and the U.S. and have held chaplaincy positions at a college, a hospice, and at a Jewish life-care retirement community. Wherever I have gone and however I have been employed, my dedication to Judaism is contagious. I help Jews find their own gateways back to their heritage and welcome their non- Jewish partners, friends and extended family with friendly explanations of our ways. I now work part time as a geriatric care manager. My hours of availability for rabbinic work are flexible depending on the needs of my care management clients. Please contact me and let me know how I can be of service to you or your family. Of all the privileges and duties that come with being a rabbi, I feel most at home creating meaningful life cycle events. From baby-namings to funerals and everything in between, it is a privilege to fashion personalized ceremonies for people of all ages, gender identities, and intimacy constellations.
Rabbi Deborah J. Brin Personalized Ceremonies, Rituals & Pastoral Counseling
With Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z’l, January 2006
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Rabbi Deborah J. Brin Personalized Ceremonies, Rituals & Pastoral Counseling ©2020 Rabbi Deborah J. Brin
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