Joy Levitt is an American rabbi and from 1987 to 1989 was the first female president of the

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) founded in 1974, is the professional association of rabbis affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It has approximately 300 members, most of whom are graduates of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical ...

. Levitt is also the founder of the Jewish Journey Project, an initiative that attempts to replace individual synagogue schools (in Manhattan) with an elective-driven communal coalition. She and her husband Rabbi Michael Strassfeld are coeditors of the ''A Night of Questions Passover Haggadah'', published by the Reconstructionist Press. She is currently th
Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center
in Manhattan's Chief Executive Officer, a position she will hold through December 2021. In addition to the Jewish Journey Project, Levitt has presided over some of the JCC's biggest accomplishments, including the founding of the Adaptations program, the Literacy and Math Tutoring Program, Saturday Morning Community Partners, the Other Israel and ReelAbilities Film Festivals, and oversaw the creation of the JCC's ten centers of excellence; she also spearheaded advocacy efforts like the New York response to the ''Save Darfur'' Coalition rally in 2006. In 2008 the PBS series "The Jewish Americans" had her as a featured commentator. In 2010 she was named one of fifty of the most influential rabbis in America by The Sisterhood, ''

The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, '' ...

s women's issues blog. She was also named by Newsweek (in 2010 and 2011) as one of the most influential rabbis in America. In 1975 she earned a bachelor's degree from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, followed by a master's degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 1976 and a rabbinical degree from the

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is a Jewish seminary in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. It is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Associa ...

in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitt, Joy American Reconstructionist rabbis Reconstructionist women rabbis Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Barnard College alumni New York University alumni Reconstructionist Rabbinical College alumni 21st-century American Jews

See also

References