Rabbi Ruth leads Shoshanim and all of its programs. She is passionate about making the ancient wisdom of Jewish tradition accessible and meaningful to all, regardless of faith and religious education, and takes joy and pride in the variety of Jewish culture and tradition.
She has been a Jewish educator for more than 30 years and has worked in the nonprofit world for most of her career. She grew up between two approaches to Judaism: a secular Canadian-Israeli family focused on Jewish culture and history, and Orthodox Jewish schools focused on tradition and religious life. Together they shaped her commitment to helping others find their own Jewish expression.
• Rabbinical ordination, Hebrew Union College
• PhD, Yale University
• Covenant Foundation grants; Jerusalem Fellow; Rabbi Without Borders
Her writing has appeared in the Times of Israel, The Forward, The Jewish Journal, The J., MyJewishLearning.com, and The Atlanta Jewish Times, and her work has been covered by the New York Times. She teaches and publishes in English, Hebrew, German, and French.
• “Eating ‘Out’: Food and the Boundaries of Jewish Community and Home in Germany and the United States,” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies & Gender Issues (2002)
• “Cookbooks in the United States,” Jewish Women’s Archive Encyclopedia
• Co-author, The Jewish Women’s Awareness Guide
• Contributor, The Sacred Table (CCAR Press)
• “Culinary Prayers — Yehi Ratzon,” Ritualwell
• “Like America, Genesis has 2 creation stories. Simchat Torah lets us tell them both,” The Times of Israel (2021)
• “Give up the guilt: A proposal for the New Year,” The Times of Israel (2014)
• “We Should All Celebrate the Ancient Jewish Holiday of Sigd,” with Beza Abebe, Kveller (2021)
• “Book takes Jewish children to ‘The Very Best Sukkah’ — in Uganda,” J. The Jewish News of Northern California (2022)
• Dozens of essays at My Jewish Learning, including “King David, Batsheva and #MeToo” and “When Faced With Hatred, Do We Stay or Do We Go?”
Trisha Harp, President
Jada Garrett, Secretary
David Abusch-Magder, PhD, Treasurer
Marcella White, Trustee