First female rabbi, first rabbi couple to serve Congregation Ohev Tzedek

By Linda Linonis | July 9, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

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History will be made when Rabbis Daria and Josh Jacobs-Velde are installed next weekend at Congregation Ohev Tzedek.

Jerry Haber, installation chair, described the upcoming event as “historic.” And here’s why.

“She’s the first female rabbi in this geographic area, the first rabbi couple and a rabbi with familial ties to the congregation,” he said. Rabbi Daria’s grandparents, Shirley and the late Sidney (Shlomo) Jacobs, were longtime members of the temple. He served as president and she was president of the Sisterhood.

While Rabbis Daria and Josh appreciate the history, they are interested in enhancing worship and programming in the present to improve the future.

Rabbi Daria came to Ohev Tzedek as its rabbi in August of 2010 and her husband, as a rabbinic intern. Though raised in the faith, neither set out to be a rabbi but life took them in that direction. Rabbi Daria lived in Japan for a time and ironically that time prompted her to delve deeper into her Jewish heritage because she was such a minority. Travel abroad also heightened her awareness of her Jewish identity.

Rabbi Josh, who grew up in St. Louis, Mo., said he had a basic Reform Judaism education. In college, he said he became more interested spirituality, studying Buddhism and meditation and spending time at the San Francisco Zen Center. “I saw how that related to the mystical tradition of Kabbalah. I discovered Jewish mysticism tradition in its modern form,” he said of the focus on life and its meaning.

The summer of 1999 brought what Rabbi Josh described as “a life-changing experience” when he interned at a Jewish retreat in the Catskills (now located in Connecticut).

The couple met when Rabbi Daria was in her first year of school at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Wyncote, Pa., near Philadephia. That was in the fall of 2003 near Simchat Torah, an autumn holiday. “We met and hit it off,” Rabbi Josh said. They were married in 2005. Rabbi Josh also decided that he would take the rabbinical path.

The couple said they “enjoy the dynamic of working together” and bring different strengths and interests. “We bring the skills and talents of two people,” Rabbi Josh said. “And we’re splitting one position,” she said.

They noted that being a couple affords another bonus to congregants who might feel more comfortable discussing a sensitive issue with someone of the same gender.

One avenue they are exploring, with input from the ritual committee, is adding more music to services. “We’re experimenting with chanting,” she said. “We want to expand the musical part of the service.” The couple said they felt music could add another element to the service and engage congregrants to be more involved.

Rabbi Daria said there is a range of music available to use for Shabbat and they wanted to tap into that.

Along that vein, Koleno (“our voices”) is a monthly singing group that is open to all. “Music opens our hearts,” Rabbi Daria said.

She also noted that they may use “Biblodrama” that was developed by Peter Pitzete, a literature teacher. Bibliodrama is described as a “blend of scholarship and art, philosophy and drama.” It involves combining “close reading of biblical texts with searching, imaginative questions in creative study.”

The rabbis also said they may focus on certain passages of text from the Torah during a service. It may be a point of reflection for the rabbis or possibly a dialogue with the congregation. “The interest is in the stories ... opening them up from the inside instead of looking at them from the outside.”

The rabbis said they also have some prayer books available that provide transliteration, which means to write words or letters in the characters of another alphabet. “This may make text and prayers more accessible to someone not well-versed in Hebrew,” Rabbi Daria said.

The couple also said a class is being offered twice a month after services to study text. Another activity is parlor meetings, Rabbi Josh said, which affords the rabbis the opportunity to get to know congregants and have conversations. “We can learn about the needs and respond,” he said.

Rabbi Daria also she hoped to arrange prayer shawl, head covering and Jewish paper-cutting classes in the future. “Daria is a natural teacher,” Rabbi Josh said of his wife.

The couple has initiated a revamp of the temple newsletter, changing the design and adding color, and website, www.ohevtzedek.org.

Art Einzig, president of Ohev Tzedek, said he is “in awe” of the rabbi couple, who bring a wonderful educational background to the temple. He said he has already witnessed how engaging they are with people.

Einzig said the couple brings new views and outlooks, which are refreshing.

“They conduct services in a modern way,” he said, citing transliteration, music and interaction. “It’s working out well,” he said.

Einzig said he appreciated how Rabbis Daria and Josh saw the importance of getting input from members about changes. “It’s about inclusiveness,” he said.

He added that the rabbis “deliver terrific sermons.” “Each has a style ... they’re thoughtful,” he said. The temple president added that sermon topics have been reflections on current events, Torah text and Valley activities such as Grow Youngstown.

Haber, who is coordinating installation events, said the couple shows “great sensitivity in understanding their place in the community and community needs.”

He said the rabbis are focused on “creating a spiritual home” for the congregation and others.

“They blend traditional and contemporary,” he said. “Their youth brings a new perspective and vitality.”

Ohev Tzedek synagogue was officially organized in 1920 and received its orthodox charter in 1922. Originally located in Youngstown, it moved to its current location on Glenwood Avenue in 1957.

Congregation Ohev Tzedek, 5245 Glenwood Ave., Boardman, will witness a historic event as Rabbis Daria and Josh Jacobs-Velde are installed as the religious leaders of the synagogue July 17. The installation marks the first female rabbi at a Conservative synagogue in the area and the first rabbi couple. There have been women rabbis for some 40 years, but Rabbi Daria Jacobs-Velde is the first in the Mahoning Valley.

July 16: Shabbat services, Saturday services and kiddush luncheon are planned.

July 17: There will be hors d’oeuvres, dinner and music followed by the installation ceremony and program, then dessert reception. The installing rabbi will be Rabbi Shawn Zevit, senior consultant and director of outreach and external affairs for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. He has more than 25 years of spiritual leadership, organization consulting and training, educational arts, writing, recording, teaching and performing.

Rabbi Daria Jacobs-Velde: In 1995, she received a degree in sociology from Brandeis University then spent three years in Japan. She also earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University in 2000. Rabbi Jacobs-Velde also has spent time in Israel, where she studied from 2004 to 2006 and participated in the Kibbutz University Program in Haifa from 1993 to 1994. In June 2009, she earned a master’s degree in Hebrew letters and was ordained a rabbi at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Wyncote, Pa., near Philadephia.

Rabbi Josh Jacobs-Velde: He studied at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and graduated and was ordained June 12. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at the University of California at Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in peace studies at University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Family: The couple has a son, Shlomo, 21/2.

Synagogue officers: Synagogue officers and board members will be installed July 16. They are: Arthur Einzig, president; Harold Davis, vice president of budget and finance; Jerry Haber, vice president of funds and membership; Jack “Booker” Kessler, vice president of ritual and activities; Shari DellaPenna, vice president of programming and education; Linda Davis, treasurer; and Harvey Farbman, recording secretary. Thirteen board members also will be installed.