Posts by Rabbi Stephanie Kramer

Dear Congregation Shomrei Torah,

I want to use this moment in time to express my deepest gratitude for your ongoing support in deepening and developing my rabbinic skills.

My time at the Shalom Hartman Institute - מכוןשלוםהרטמן as part of the Rabbinic Leadership Institute has come to an end, I have officially graduated. My cohort had our final summer gathering this July which included a private siyyum (conclusion to learning ceremony) and public graduation. It was deeply moving for me, and I was sad to see our time together conclude.

I have had the unbelievable opportunity to learn Torah from some of the most brilliant scholars in the Jewish world. I have been engaged around contemporary issues facing Israeli society by some of the leading thinkers on these topics. I have been stretched politically and theologically. I have been inspired by the way in which the scholars resist traditional thinking, and can turn text on their head to develop deep lessons for contemporary Jewish engagement.

I am privileged to have studied in this program with twenty-seven rabbis from across North America. We are Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Renewal; a cohort of rabbis with diverse backgrounds, incredible accomplishments, and the menchy-ist hearts there could be.

I am so blessed to call the rabbis in this cohort colleagues and friends, and look forward to the many ways our paths will cross in the years to come. 

Thank you Rabbi George for paving the way as a Senior Rabbinic Fellow in Cohort 2, and for encouraging me to make Hartman a second home.

Thank you Congregation Shomrei Torah, for encouraging me to take professional growth seriously and for supporting me during these past three years of study. I want to thank the board of directors for your continued support for this program both financially and with my time away from the synagogue walls.

Thank you to the CST staff that holds down the fort again and again. A special thank you to Adam who makes caring for two kids look easy.

Thank you again for this opportunity. I am now honored to be a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and I look forward to many years of Torah study, engagement around Zionism, and opportunities to bring the learning back to CST.

Rabbi Stephanie Kramer