Gesa Ederberg (born 1968 in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

, Germany) is a German

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 of ...

; she became the first female pulpit rabbi in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 2007 when she became the rabbi of the

New Synagogue, Berlin The New Synagogue (german: Neue Synagoge) on Oranienburger Straße in Berlin is a mid-19th century synagogue built as the main place of worship for Berlin's Jewish community, succeeding the Old Synagogue which the community outgrew. Because ...

(Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue) in the former East Berlin. Her installation as such was opposed by Berlin's senior Orthodox rabbi Yitzchak Ehrenberg. She converted to Judaism in 1995. She was ordained by the

Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, ( he, מכון שכטר למדעי היהדות, ''Machon Schechter'') located in the Neve Granot neighborhood of Jerusalem, is an Israeli academic institution. History Founded in 1984 by the Jewish Theolo ...

in Jerusalem in 2003. She established a Conservative Jewish

beit midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

in Berlin. She was part of the 2006 founding of the European Rabbinical Assembly of Masorti/Conservative Rabbis. As of 2013, she was the executive vice president of Masorti Europe and the rabbi of New Synagogue, Berlin. The art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, which opened in February 2022 at the 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.https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/05/13/jewish-contributions-in-cincinnati.html

Yona Verwer Yona Verwer is a Dutch-born visual artist, living in New York City. Her works explore various themes, such as identity, cultural heritage, terrorism, tikkun olam, as well as the spiritual concepts of kabbalah. Verwer holds a master's degree i ...

created the artwork about Ederberg.

Publications

References

1968 births Converts to Conservative Judaism Living people German Conservative rabbis Conservative women rabbis People from Tübingen {{Germany-rabbi-stub