A Time to Speak Loudly. A Time for Silence.
September 2, 2024
Esther’s caution served her well in the end, when she was able to “come out” on her own terms.
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Rabbi Alex Weissman aims to train, teach and mentor leaders to deepen their own spiritual paths. His spiritual life, worldview, and love of Jewish texts and traditions were deeply shaped by RRC. Joining the faculty and academic administration was, for him, a dream come true.
As director of the mekhinah (preparation) program, Alex will mentor emerging religious leaders who may be lacking advanced Hebrew skills and Judaic knowledge. By immersing in Hebrew language, Jewish liturgy, texts and practice, students will gain the foundation of knowledge needed to thrive in rabbinic school and beyond. Alex, who completed the mekhinah program himself, brings a patient and relational approach, knowing how challenging and rewarding the material can be.
In his dual role as director of cultural and spiritual life, Alex works with College leadership, faculty and students to reimagine the RRC’s communal experience in the wake of disruptions brought about by COVID-19, with students learning in-person and remotely at various times. More than just a perk, RRC’s rich and nurturing community has long proved an integral part of rabbinic formation, modeling the kind of community that rabbis can help strengthen and create.
Prior to joining RRC, he served as spiritual leader of Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Mass.; and director of organizing for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Prior to that, Alex served as the senior Jewish educator at Brown RISD Hillel for three years. He currently serves on the Ethics Committee of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and on the advisory boards of Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations, and the Inside Out Wisdom and Action Project.
He was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 2017, where he fell in love with Talmud study and served a range of communities, including Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City; Temple Shalom of Newton, Mass; Avodah; and Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Greater Philadelphia as a hospice chaplain. He completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Hebrew SeniorLife. During his time at RRC, he received a Tikkun Olam award; the Ann W. Pinkenson Prize in Rabbinic Literature and Civilization; and the Lillian Fern Award for service to the community for his work as the president of the Reconstructionist Student Association.
Prior to rabbinical school, he worked as a community organizer.
Esther’s caution served her well in the end, when she was able to “come out” on her own terms.
A Purim drash
At the age of 10, I was presented with one of the greatest theological and spiritual challenges of my life. I was in my fifth-grade
Through practicing gratitude and recognizing the complexities of privilege, we are better suited to pursue the work of changing the world.
Not only does organizing have an impact on the outside world, on power relations and on policies. It also shapes our inner lives and offers us the potential to cultivate a deeper spiritual awareness.
God is the space between the one who needs and the one who is needed.
A text sheet and study guide created by Rabbi Deborah Waxman on Rabbi Alex Weissman’s piece, “Halleluyah.”
This piece was originally published at Ritualwell.org. Oh World of Miracles, you are supremely broken.Your shards are painful and cutting.Your pieces are scattered across the
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
