“Know from where you came and where you are going…”
Pirke Avot/Ethics of the Ancestors 3:1
My journey, it’s quite possible, began before I even took my first breath. My father, the late Rabbi Jeffrey Weisblatt, partly dedicated the culmination of his rabbinical school work – his master’s thesis – to his soon to be born son. Perhaps those words were more prophetic than he realized because almost thirty years later, I would be standing in the same library he wrote them finishing my own thesis.
Raised in a home that lived, loved and breathed Judaism, I was always a part of the Jewish community. For the first decade of my life, my family was a part of the Reform world as my father was a Reform Rabbi. After his death, we journeyed and soon came to find ourselves living in Philadelphia and belonging to a Conservative community. I took time during those teenage and college years to explore not only the liberal movements but almost all of the varied streams that make up the rainbow of the Jewish world. As I explored I became active in Hillel at Penn State University, working towards creating pluralistic programming as well as participating in interfaith work. Our work helped to lead to the rapprochement between the Muslim and Jewish communities on campus and set the foundation for the strong relationships they maintain till this day. From those days, I felt a calling to serve and knew that for me, there was only one way, one path that truly felt right – the calling of the rabbinate.
Having lived in many Jewish worlds, I ultimately decided to begin my journey in the rabbinic world by entering the Conservative Movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan. During my three years there, I engaged deeply with our people’s heritage and yet struggled with the social issues of our day – continuing to question and push the boundaries. Ultimately, during my third year, which took place in Israel, as I volunteered with the Israel Religious Action Center, I came to the conclusion that I needed to return to my roots and transferred for my last three years of school to Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan.
I spent the next three years combining my love of text and tradition coupled with engaging in the challenging and important social issues of our world. Through my time at HUC-JIR, I found myself working on LGBTQ issues, diversity and inclusion in our communities and how to bring the rituals and traditions once so foreign to Reform Judaism, back to our communities in modern and meaningful ways. Finishing my studies, I continue to bring the love of tradition with the passion of working in and out of the walls of the synagogue in an effort to continue to make Judaism relevant, inspiring and loving for all. And, as I continue this journey, I was lucky enough to find my bashert – my soul mate – Marissa – who is on this path with me. She is my partner, my friend, my confidant and helps me to see beyond and to continue to think in new and exciting ways. We welcomed our first son, Alexander Joseph, in February 2017 and our second son, Benjamin Jacob, in September 2019.
As a believer in lifelong learning, I continue to engage in deep learning in many ways. I've earned nonprofit certifications through Duke University and Cornell University, am a current Wexner Field Fellow, and a doctoral candidate in Talmud and Rabbinics at HUC-JIR. I also serve on the CCAR Responsa Committee, work closely with Newark PD, and served on the inaugural board of the Black-Jewish Collaborative in Pittsburgh, PA. Through these experiences and more, it remains my firm belief in helping to build a pluralistic Jewish world, in which each Jew has the freedom to find what their connection and practice of Judaism is, and to see the joy in it.
Pirke Avot/Ethics of the Ancestors 3:1
My journey, it’s quite possible, began before I even took my first breath. My father, the late Rabbi Jeffrey Weisblatt, partly dedicated the culmination of his rabbinical school work – his master’s thesis – to his soon to be born son. Perhaps those words were more prophetic than he realized because almost thirty years later, I would be standing in the same library he wrote them finishing my own thesis.
Raised in a home that lived, loved and breathed Judaism, I was always a part of the Jewish community. For the first decade of my life, my family was a part of the Reform world as my father was a Reform Rabbi. After his death, we journeyed and soon came to find ourselves living in Philadelphia and belonging to a Conservative community. I took time during those teenage and college years to explore not only the liberal movements but almost all of the varied streams that make up the rainbow of the Jewish world. As I explored I became active in Hillel at Penn State University, working towards creating pluralistic programming as well as participating in interfaith work. Our work helped to lead to the rapprochement between the Muslim and Jewish communities on campus and set the foundation for the strong relationships they maintain till this day. From those days, I felt a calling to serve and knew that for me, there was only one way, one path that truly felt right – the calling of the rabbinate.
Having lived in many Jewish worlds, I ultimately decided to begin my journey in the rabbinic world by entering the Conservative Movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan. During my three years there, I engaged deeply with our people’s heritage and yet struggled with the social issues of our day – continuing to question and push the boundaries. Ultimately, during my third year, which took place in Israel, as I volunteered with the Israel Religious Action Center, I came to the conclusion that I needed to return to my roots and transferred for my last three years of school to Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan.
I spent the next three years combining my love of text and tradition coupled with engaging in the challenging and important social issues of our world. Through my time at HUC-JIR, I found myself working on LGBTQ issues, diversity and inclusion in our communities and how to bring the rituals and traditions once so foreign to Reform Judaism, back to our communities in modern and meaningful ways. Finishing my studies, I continue to bring the love of tradition with the passion of working in and out of the walls of the synagogue in an effort to continue to make Judaism relevant, inspiring and loving for all. And, as I continue this journey, I was lucky enough to find my bashert – my soul mate – Marissa – who is on this path with me. She is my partner, my friend, my confidant and helps me to see beyond and to continue to think in new and exciting ways. We welcomed our first son, Alexander Joseph, in February 2017 and our second son, Benjamin Jacob, in September 2019.
As a believer in lifelong learning, I continue to engage in deep learning in many ways. I've earned nonprofit certifications through Duke University and Cornell University, am a current Wexner Field Fellow, and a doctoral candidate in Talmud and Rabbinics at HUC-JIR. I also serve on the CCAR Responsa Committee, work closely with Newark PD, and served on the inaugural board of the Black-Jewish Collaborative in Pittsburgh, PA. Through these experiences and more, it remains my firm belief in helping to build a pluralistic Jewish world, in which each Jew has the freedom to find what their connection and practice of Judaism is, and to see the joy in it.
|
Call
302-451-9628 Email
[email protected] |
