J e n F e l d ma n R a bbi , K e h i l l a h Sy nago gu e fter 2 ½ years with United Way Association of South Carolina’s housing partnership initiative, Jen Feldman was ready for something new. Although she founded the nonprofit housing program in rural South Carolina, she wanted to explore ways to lead the Jewish community she grew up in to make an impact in the broader community. So, she started the process of becoming a rabbi. “I have such joy and love for the Jewish tradition and was looking for a way to make that accessible for as many people to draw from as possible,” she says. In 1994, Jen started her six years of rabbinical school in Philadelphia. She was ordained in 2000 and became the assistant rabbi at Germantown Jewish Centre. In 2002, Jen moved to Chapel Hill to become Kehillah Synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. “I was [searching] for a vibrant community with a wonderful cultural scene and strong public schools and a chance to help build something for the Jewish community,” she says. As Jen became more familiar with her role and the community, she looked for ways to build bridges of understanding. She helped found the broad-based coalition Orange County Justice United in 2010, creating a network of local faith, community-based and civic organizations to address pressing issues of social and economic equity. “There was a real desire for us to work together across faith lines,” she says.
A
After the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Jen organized a vigil that
May/June 2021 chapelhillmagazine.com
53