Malka Drucker (born March 14, 1945) is an American
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 ...
and author living in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
.
Overview
Ordained in 1998 from the Academy for Jewish Religion, a transdenominational seminary, Drucker is the founding rabbi of HaMakom: The Place for Passionate and Progressive Judaism, in Santa Fe, and served for fifteen years. She retired as spiritual leader of Temple Har Shalom in Idyllwild, California, in 2021.
Malka Drucker is married to Dr Sheila Namir.
Drucker is the author of 21 books including the award winning ''
Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...
, Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust'', ''Grandma's Latkes'' and ''The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays.'' Her highly acclaimed Jewish Holiday Series won the Southern California Council on Literature for Children Prize series. ''Eliezer Ben Yehuda: Father of Modern Hebrew'' won the ADL (
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
) Janusz Korczak Literary Competition and her biography of Frida Kahlo was chosen as an American Booksellers Association "Pick of the Lists." Drucker's collaboration with photographer
Gay Block, ''White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America'', received the 2005 Southwest PEN award for non fiction. ''Portraits of Jewish American Heroes'' published August 2008 won the New Mexico Children's Book Prize. In 2009 the collection of essays ''Women and Judaism'', edited by Malka Drucker, was published by Praeger Books. With Rabbi Nadya Gross, she has written "Embracing Wisdom: Soaring in the Second Half of Life.
In 1986, rabbi
Harold Schulweis
Harold M. Schulweis (April 14, 1925 – December 18, 2014) was an American rabbi and author. He was the longtime spiritual Leader at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California.
Biography
Schulweis was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1925 to secul ...
, Malka Drucker and Gay Block decided to document activities of
non-Jewish Europeans who risked torture and death to save Jews during the Holocaust, a topic they considered both important and under-publicized. Their work would eventually led to a book by Drucker (''
Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust''), as well as an exhibition of Block's photographs.
A 2013 dissertation from the
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
's department of
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
, "Storied Lives in a Living Tradition: Women Rabbis and Jewish Community in 21st Century New Mexico", by Miria Kano, discusses Drucker and four other female rabbis of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drucker, Malka
1945 births
Living people
21st-century American rabbis
American biographers
American children's writers
American religious writers
Women religious writers
Jewish American writers
Writers from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Women rabbis
American women children's writers
American women biographers
Jewish women writers
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century American women writers