Temple Rodef Shalom (Falls Church, Virginia)

Temple Rodef Shalom
Basic information
Location Fairfax County
Virginia, U.S.
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Status Active
Leadership Rabbi Amy Schwartzman
Website templerodefshalom.org
Architectural description

Temple Rodef Shalom (Reform) is the largest Jewish congregation in the Commonwealth of Virginia,[1] located in Fairfax County (with a "Falls Church" mailing address). Founded in 1962, it counts a membership of over 1,300 households.[2]

In 1963, the Temple hired Laszlo Berkowits as its first rabbi. In 1998, it became one of the largest congregations in the United States to have a female rabbi, when it replaced Berkowits, who had decided to retire, with then-Associate Rabbi Amy Schwartzman.[1]

The Temple's current Assistant Rabbi is Jeffrey Saxe. It hired its first cantor, Michael Shochet, in 1998.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Murphy, Caryle. "Like their Christian counterparts, Jewish women are breaking down barriers and taking on leadership roles. In doing so, they are adding a new dimension to Jewish teaching.; Female Rabbis Break the Glass Ceiling", The Washington Post, July 25, 1998. Accessed June 21, 2011. "The 34-year-old Schwartzman just became senior rabbi of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, the largest Jewish congregation in the state with about 1,000 families and one of the larger ones in the country. Only two other American female rabbis head congregations of that size."
  2. ^ Union for Reform Judaism: Temple Rodef Shalom directory listing, accessed March 27, 2007.

External links