H eadlines
RRC Names First Jew of Color to Lead College
L OCA L
ELEANOR LINAFELT | JE STAFF
AMANDA BECKENSTEIN
Mbuvi, who was recently
appointed vice president
of academic affairs for the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College, is the first Jew of
color to lead a major rabbin-
ical college.

And Mbuvi plans to bring
her breadth of experience as
a Hebrew Bible professor and
nonprofit manager to build
community, support students
and foster diversity. She hopes to
encourage students to embrace
the wide range of Jewish
experiences. “One of the things I’m most
excited to do is to continue to
promote inclusivity,” she said.

“We want to make sure that
rabbis are ready to deal with
the full diversity of the Jewish
community.” Rabbi Deborah Waxman,
the president and CEO of
Reconstructing Judaism, the
central organization of the
Reconstructionist movement
— of which the RRC is a part
— was drawn to Mbuvi’s vision.

“She’s incredibly committed
8 JULY 1, 2021
to building lasting relation-
ships with people on their own
terms, across differences, in the
service of building community,”
Waxman said. “That’s going to
serve us incredibly well.”
Most recently, Mbuvi was an
assistant professor of religion at
High Point University, where she
helped establish their first minor
in Jewish studies. Her academic
work focuses on race, commu-
nity and diversity.

“As a Bible professor, she
cares deeply about the texts and
the stories and the wisdom of
the past, and she’s also intensely
interested in how they can inform
us in the community-building,
relationship-building and justice
work that we’re doing in the
world,” Waxman said.

After training as an academic
Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi
Courtesy of Reconstructing Judaism
and before returning to teaching,
Mbuvi managed a nonprofit
literacy program.

One of the things I’m most excited to do is to continue to promote
“She was very interested in
the practical implications of her inclusivity. We want to make sure that rabbis are ready to deal with the
academic training and she wanted
full diversity of the Jewish community.”
to make a difference for people in
the world,” Waxman said. “I’m AMANDA BECKENSTEIN MBUVI
interested both in the practical
administrative skills that she stakes are high for people.”
the classroom as a communal challenges students to think about
gained in that work and also that
Waxman noted how Mbuvi’s endeavor.”
tradition in a new way.

translation from the theoretical values complement those of
As vice president of academic
“Students aren’t just studying
into the living reality where the the RRC and Reconstructing affairs, Mbuvi will oversee tradition and assuming its impli-
Judaism. all aspects of the rabbinical cations are more or less obvious,
“Our tagline is ‘Deeply program, which includes super- but rather studying the context in
rooted, boldly relevant,’ and vising faculty, advising students which we encounter those tradi-
that is how she moves through and implementing the RRC’s tions,” she said. “That enables
the world — with reverence new curriculum. She also will students to be really effective in
and with keen awareness of collaborate with Reconstructing engaging people where they are
relevance,” she said.

Judaism’s other programs.

and helping them to discover
Mbuvi’s first formative experi-
Waxman is confident about the relevance of tradition in their
ence of Jewish communal life was Mbuvi’s ability to manage the context.”
in a Conservative synagogue with RRC’s new curriculum, which
After a year filled with collec-
a Reconstructionist rabbi.

centers rabbinic training in the tive upheaval, Mbuvi also thinks
“In that sense, certain field, emphasizes community that learning to adjust to the
elements of the Reconstructionist building and offers more oppor- change in curriculum will be a
approach are baked into how I tunities for remote work.

positive learning experience for
approach Judaism,” she said.

“[Mbuvi] will help us ensure the RRC’s students.

She said that she also that we remain interconnected
“This process of adapting into
developed similar “cultural affin- and ensure that relationships are a shifting curriculum is really
ities” with the Reconstructionist still at the center of the kind of helpful for thinking about how
movement primarily through community that we’re building, to live with change and learning
her teaching.

even if it looks different than it how to lead with change,” she
said. “That’s something the
“I put a strong emphasis used to,” Waxman said.

on co-creation,” she said. “I
Mbuvi is particularly excited students will all face, wherever
think about what happens in about the way that the curriculum their paths take them.” l
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