Rabbi Weiner, new to Kol Ami, sees Judaism and social justice as interconnected
Oct. 22—Tikkun olam, which translates to "repair of the world," is a Judaism concept that refers to acts of kindness taken to mend and improve the world.
It's a phrase found in the Mishnah, the first major work of rabbinic literature, and one that Rabbi Jennifer Weiner holds dearly.
For Weiner, who joined Frederick's Congregation Kol Ami in July, the fight for justice is intertwined with Judaism.
The Torah teaches that everyone is created in the image of God, Weiner said. If that is true, she went on, then everyone — including people who identify as LGBTQ, those with disabilities and other marginalized communities — is equal and should be treated as much.
"We're here as stewards of our world," Weiner said, "to leave it a better place for our children and for their children."
As a member of the clergy at Kol Ami, a Reform synagogue that holds services at the Unitarian Universalist of Congregation of Frederick, Weiner is looking forward to praying, learning and advocating for social justice with the synagogue's community.
Weiner was ordained at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1996. Recently, after 25 years of service to the Jewish community, she received her Doctor of Divinity from the college.
She has served congregations across the country, including in Louisiana, Nevada and New York. She has also served in the United States Navy Chaplain Candidate Corp and as a chaplain for two Virginia police departments. Before coming to Frederick, she served as an interim rabbi in Baltimore, where she guided the merging of two historical Reform synagogues, Har Sinai and Oheb Shalom. She has also served as an interim rabbi in Honolulu, Hawaii.
All were wonderful experiences that gave her the chance to meet great people, she said, but she wanted to find a congregation that would allow her more consistently to be with her husband and children in Springfield, Virginia, about an hour south of Frederick.
When she found Kol Ami, it felt like it was meant to be. The congregation is warm, inviting and welcoming, she said. It has a strong confirmation program for high school students, a Torah study class for adults and a wonderful cantorial sololist, Eric Dubbin, who everyone calls Dr. Eric because he works as a veterinarian. She feels so much positive energy and potential at the synagogue, she said. She's excited to bring new music to services and watch them blossom.
"I'm really looking forward to our congregation being a vibrant, creative, spiritual, welcoming community where all feel comfortable to pray, to come learn about Judaism, to explore their own Judaism," she said.
Everyone is invited, she added. Kol Ami wants to be part of the interfaith community and the wider Frederick community of Frederick, not just the Jewish community.
Weiner became a rabbi because she fell in love with the history and literature of Judaism while studying at Barnard College in New York. She loves how the religion gives her the chance to work with people and give back to a community that has given so much to her family.
Her ancestors were from Russia, Poland and Prussia, and they came to America to create lives for themselves that would be free from persecution and allow them to practice their religion "out loud," Weiner said. The Jewish community is here for refugees and immigrants who are escaping sometimes terrible situations in their country of origin and are trying to build a better world for themselves, their children and future generations, she said, adding, "That's very much what America afforded my family."
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