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B’nai Emet Synagogue in St. Louis Park welcomes Rabbi Charni Flame
Selch as its new spiritual leader. She is the first woman to lead the
Conservative congregation in its history and becomes the only woman
rabbi at a Conservative synagogue in the Twin Cities.
Rabbi Selch, who relocated here from the Boston area on August 1, is
excited about joining B’nai Emet: “B’nai Emet is a community where
everyone is welcome. Because of the vibrant congregational
participation, there is a diversity and mutual respect which combines
communal life and Jewish life.
“My philosophy is that Judaism shouldn’t be a spectator sport,” she
said. “It is meant to be approachable and personal and do-able and never
to be simply watched from the sidelines.”
Rabbi Selch has served as spiritual leader at Congregation Kol Ami in
Annapolis, MD and Temple Beth El in Lowell, MA, and is one of the few
women to have led a synagogue in Israel.
Before being ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, she
had successful careers in theater, television and education. She is a
long-time member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish
Education and is a member of Keshet Rabbis, a group of Conservative
rabbis working to insure that GLBT Jews are embraced fully in
congregational life. |
