Amy Perlin is the first female

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

in the United States to start her own congregation, Temple B'nai Shalom in

Fairfax Station, Virginia Fairfax Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,030 at the 2010 census. Located in Northern Virginia, its center is located southwest of Washington, D.C. Geography Fairfax Sta ...

, of which she was the founding rabbi in 1986. In 1978, she graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Near Eastern Studies, with

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

and Phi Beta Kappa honors. In 1980 she received a M.A.H.L. (Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature), and in 1982 she was ordained by the Reform seminary

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

(HUC-JIR). She later earned a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree from HUC-JIR in 2007. In 2012 Perlin and fifteen other leaders of the Reform Jewish movement met with White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew. That year she was also honored by

Jewish Women International Jewish Women International (JWI) is a Jewish-American social service organization founded in 1897 by American Jewish women associated with B'nai B'rith, an international Jewish social service organization. The organization's mission is described as ...

(JWI) as one of its "Women to Watch". In 2013 she was inducted onto the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR, and was included in '' The Jewish Daily Forwards list of America's 36 Most Inspiring Rabbis. She is married and has two children, and she and her husband Gary have started a family foundation. Perlin retired in 2018 after serving at Temple B'nai Shalom for 32 years. The art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, which opened in February 2022 at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum and the Skirball Museum, featured 24 Jewish women artists, who had each created an artwork about a female rabbi who was a first in some way. Deborah Ugoretz created the artwork about Perlin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perlin, Amy American Reform rabbis Reform women rabbis Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) People from Fairfax Station, Virginia Princeton University alumni Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni 21st-century American Jews

See also

References