H EADLINES
Local Rabbi Honored by LGBT History Month
L OCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
EVERY OCTOBER, in honor
of LGBT History Month, the
nonprofit Equality Forum
names 31 LGBT “icons” — one
for each day of the month. Th is
year, a local rabbi made the list.

Rabbi Deborah Waxman,
president of Reconstructing
Judaism and Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College in Wyncote,
will be honored as an icon on
Oct. 30. She is the fi rst woman
and fi rst lesbian to lead both
a major Jewish denomination
and a rabbinical seminary.

Although there
were women rabbis and gay rabbis
who came before her, she didn’t
have many role models when
she chose her path. She grew up
in the Conservative movement,
which did not start ordaining
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women rabbis until the ’80s.

However, the nurturing,
supportive environment
allowed her to imagine that
there would be space for her
in leadership, and she didn’t
think that being a woman
would disqualify her from
becoming a rabbi.

She eventually decided to
attend the Reconstructionist
seminary because she believed it
would help her become the best
rabbi and best human being she
could be. It also became a safe
space for her to come out later in
her 20s as she wrestled with her
sexuality. “If I hadn’t been in a commu-
nity that was really encouraging
me to bring my core self and to
develop fully, I might not only
have been in the closet, I might
have just kind of cut off the idea
of relationships,” she said.

She said her journey to
leadership was shaped by male
allies and mentors who helped
her grow.

“Advancement happens
because there are allies who
champion, and who open doors,
who don’t just say, ‘Oh, it would
be nice ...’ but actually extend
themselves to allow women, queer
people, people of color and people
with disabilities to rise up, who
mentor and create opportunities
and network on their behalf.”
One of her own mentors,
Rabbi David Teutsch, hired
her to do grant writing for her
rabbinical school when she was
still a student.

“I reached out to Deborah
because she’s a talented,
thoughtful person of great
creativity and insight, and it
would have been a loss to the
Jewish people and to the world
in general had we not brought
her into leadership,” he said.

She was ordained in 1999
and taught at RRC for several
years before assuming her role
as president of her organiza-
tions in 2014. Under Waxman’s
leadership, Reconstructing
Judaism has adopted a frame-
work of resilience in the face of
strong communal anxiety about
climate change, anti-Semitism,
politics and the pandemic.

“We really bring that under-
standing that Judaism writ large
is about resilience, that our
ancestors have faced catastrophe
again and again and they found
ways, both on the individual
and on the collective level, to
renew themselves,” she said.

Her podcast, “Hashivenu:
Jewish Teachings on Resilience,”
has addressed this topic for the
past three years and featured
conversations with Jewish leaders,
teachers and activists about resil-
ience in the Jewish tradition.

Rabbi Joshua Lesser, who
entered rabbinical school at
the same time as Waxman
and leads Congregation Bet
Haverim in Atlanta, said one
of her talents as a leader is
bringing people of diff erent
backgrounds together.

“Her ability to do that as
well as she does has created an
avenue for so many people, not
only people who are becoming
rabbis but Jews across the
board, who can see themselves
as part of a Jewish community
without necessarily having to
fi ght for it,” he said.

Waxman was honored and
humbled to be in the company
of this year’s icon lineup, which
includes actor and comedian
Kate McKinnon and fi rst out
federal judge Deborah Batts.

She said the poets on the list
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Courtesy of Reconstructing Judaism
— Sappho, Emily Dickinson
and especially Mary Oliver —
had a strong infl uence on her.

“I would say that I consider
poetry a kind of liturgy. I
incorporate a lot of poetry
into when I lead services,” she
said. “Th ey helped me to create
space and to express my pain
and my hopes.”
Her favorite Oliver poem is
“When Death Comes.”
“It’s a primer in how to live
a life fully and beautifully and
open-heartedly,” she said. ●
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Rabbi Deborah Waxman
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JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



“A Time to Plant (Ideas)...“ (Ecclesiastes)
Dr. Paul Brody and his now 21-year-old son, Joey proudly flank their pithy “JEWISH DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP” placard.

Photo Credit: Doolie Productions
JEWISH DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP!
Activist Dr. Paul Brody, a practicing
Dermatologist, of Great Neck, Long
Island in New York, has launched
a campaign entitled “JEWISH
DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP - It’s
INCUMBENT Upon Us to Keep The
INCUMBENT! A Man Of ACTION:
He Ain’t ‘biden’
His Time!”
great achievements for America
and for Israel. All Jews must give
“HaKarat HaTov” (Expression of
Gratitude) and say “Thank You” to
the greatest friend that the Jewish
people have EVER had in the
White House, by pulling the
lever for Donald Trump on
November 3rd.

Dr. Brody is puzzled as to how any
Jew could vote for the opposition
considering President Trump’s
Perceiving that most Jews are
still registered Democrats, Dr.

Brody is focusing his attention on
Jewish Democrats who should
“be made more aware of the
facts.” To protect America and
Israel, accomplishments and
achievements must be placed at
a higher value than a candidate’s
rhetoric when casting one’s ballot.

Dr. Paul Brody presents “Say
CAIN (YES) to McCAIN, Because
McCAIN is ABLE” placard to
Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2008, in
Lawrence, NY.

Photo credit: Staff photographer
for Sen Joe Lieberman
Dr. Brody himself never switched
his affiliation from the Democratic
Party - although his views have
been much more closely aligned
with the Republican Party for
many years - so that he is able to
criticize certain Democratic Party
ideologies as a Party member.

Over the years, Dr. Brody,
partnering with Dr. Joe Frager,
has accompanied Governor
Mike Huckabee to Israel on
many occasions, including
arranging for him to address
the Knesset severaL times, and
was instrumental in enabling
commentator Glenn Beck’s
presentations in Israel, including
addressing the Knesset in the
summer of 2011. He and his wife
Drora served as the Chairpersons
of the Israel Day Concert in
Central Park - the "Concert With
A Message" (coined by Dr. Brody)
- for 14 years, held annually,
immediately following the Salute
to Israel Parade - galvanizing
the Jewish people to call for the
Unification of Jerusalem, as the
eternal capital of Israel - NEVER to
be divided, and never relinquishing
any part of our sovereign Land.

These are basic principles that
motivate President Donald J.

Trump. President Trump reiterated
these ideas when he addressed
Ministers and Members of the
Knesset, and VIP’S, together with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, at the Israel Museum
in Jerusalem on May 23, 2017.

Dr. Brody and his daughter Dana
Brody, Esq. were in attendance.

During the 2008 presidential
elections, Dr. Brody coined the
slogan “Say CAIN (YES) for
McCAIN - because McCAIN is
ABLE!” A placard highlighting this
slogan, was presented to Senator
Joe Lieberman, representing Sen.

McCain, at a gathering of support, at
the Lawrence, LI home of Phil Rosen,
then Chairman of the American
Friends of Likud. Dr. Brody also
quipped, at a Press Conference
he helped organize at Jerusalem's
King David Hotel, that if McCain
had selected Gov. Huckabee as his
running mate, the ticket would have
been dubbed MaCCABEE!!”
“JEWISH DEMOCRATS FOR
ROMNEY: IT’S A MITTzvah!” made
it’s debut on October 16, 2012, at
the demonstration at Long Island’s
Hofstra University before the
second Presidential Debate.

Dr. Brody and his then 13-year-old
son Joey, joined the Republican
Jewish Coalition and unveiled their
“Jewish Democrats for Romney...”
placard. The placard garnered
much attention and comment, both
encouraging and negative, by other
demonstrators and passers-by.

Dr. Paul Brody and then 13-year-
old son Joey launch “Jewish
Democrats for Romney: It’s A
MITTzvah,” at the Presidential
Debates at Hofstra, October 16,
2012. Photo credit: Archives of the
Republican Jewish Coilition (RJC)
Dr. Brody hopes that in the same
vein, the “JEWISH DEMOCRATS for
TRUMP” campaign will stimulate
Jewish Democrats - especially in
the “swing states” - and everyone
else, to re-evaluate their thinking
- hopefully quickly - and strongly
support the incumbent President
Donald Trump.

After all, President Donald J. Trump
is "A man of action: He ain’t “biden”
his time!" And ACTION speaks
LOUDER than words!
For comments or contributions, please
contact JewishDemocratsForTrump
@Yahoo.com Paid political ad by JEWISH DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
OCTOBER 29, 2020
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