Reconstructionist Judaism
Conversion requirements
Brit Milah/Hatafat Dam Brit: Required (Approved certification of the procedure is also acceptable.)
Mikveh: Required (Mt. Sinai Congregation in Cheyenne, Wyo.)
Bet Din: Required (Rabbis, cantors, or approved lay Jews)
Conversion Location: Cheyenne, Wyo.
Additional Languages: Spanish, Hebrew
Students Levels: Mitzvah, Chai
Conversion requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic
Brit Milah/Hatafat Dam Brit: Required (No change)
Mikveh: Required (Local immersion with attestation from approved witnesses is also acceptable.)
Bet Din: Required (Virtual bet din via video conferencing is also acceptable.)
I am happy to work with
Families with children (under special circumstances)
LGBTQ+ candidates
Interfaith or dual-faith relationships
Personal statement
Shalom! I look forward to guiding you on this powerful, personal journey. I often joke that I have been a part of every denomination and “played every position” on the “rabbi baseball team,” including pulpit rabbi, cantor, chaplain, and educator, during my long rabbinic career. While I was raised Reform, I studied in Orthodox and Hassidic circles. I was ordained at Reconstructing Judaism; however, Jewish Renewal Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi of blessed memory deeply influenced my mystical side. I also studied Buddhism and Eastern religions, and I am a Reiki Master Healer who regularly practices yoga, meditation, and Tai Chi.
Currently, I am the spiritual leader of Mt. Sinai Congregation in Cheyenne, Wyo., after fifteen years as a State of California chaplain. Having lived in Israel, I am fluent in conversational, literary, and Biblical Hebrew. As a singer, guitarist, and percussionist, I have traveled and performed in Spain, Brazil, Italy, and Mexico, so I speak Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Yiddish and sing in Russian and Arabic. Some of my hobbies include swimming, cycling, snorkeling and scuba diving, hiking, and organic gardening, and Let There Be Light, my album of healing chants, is used by healers worldwide.
Jewishness is different from other faiths that demand acceptance of a belief system first and above all else; rather, the paramount question for you is, “Do I feel like I belong with this People?” On this journey, you will integrate your Jewish identity with your previous life experiences, as you choose to belong to a People, behave by following rituals and traditions, and finally, believe in a God of your understanding. People have referred to me as “a midwife for their soul,” if you feel you want to be a part of this People, I stand ready to support your journey. Together we will navigate and integrate mind, heart, body, and soul, and as Rabbi Hillel said to the curious seeker, “the rest is commentary; now go and study.”
Education
Temple University
Master of Education
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Smicha (Rabbinical Ordination)
Master of Hebrew Letters
University of California, Los Angeles
Bachelor of Arts, Jewish Studies
