The Madison Jewish Community Day School — the only Wisconsin Jewish day school outside of Milwaukee — has hired Rabbi Rebecca Ben-Gideon as its head of school.
She succeeds Merle S. Sweet, Ph.D. He is an educator who came out of retirement to help start the school about two years ago. (See Chronicle, Aug. 7, 2008.)
MJCDS ended this past school year with 11 students in grades kindergarten through second. This coming school year, it will add a third grade, and it expects to have 13 students, Ben-Gideon said in a telephone interview on July 14.
Ben-Gideon, who is the wife of Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon of Beth Israel Center, Madison’s Conservative synagogue, said “having a rabbi on board” will “add something to the school” and mark “a new stage in our development.”
“As a rabbi, I feel I am all about building relationships and community,” she said. “I hope that my skills will bring us further down the road of building positive relationships between the school and the Madison Jewish community at large.”
Naomi Chesler, the chair of the school’s board of directors, emphasized that Ben-Gideon will not be “the school rabbi” in the sense of directing the Judaic studies program – the school has a Jewish studies director, Meisha Liebson – or in the sense of setting the school’s religious orientation.
“While she’s a Conservative rabbi, the school is not teaching Conservative Judaism,” said Chesler in a telephone interview on July 14. The school is “a pluralistic, community school” in its approach and philosophy, she said.
Still, “the fact that [Ben-Gideon] is a rabbi means her depth of knowledge in Judaism is excellent,” said Chesler. “She will have lots of interaction with the children and probably will be doing some teaching of Judaic studies.”
Above all, Ben-Gideon “is an experienced community builder” who “shares the vision of the school: to have outstanding secular education coupled with meaningful and rich Jewish education,” said Chesler.
Women rabbis inspiring
Ben-Gideon grew up in Bloomington, Ind., and Newton, Mass. Her family had a “Conservative traditional home,” but she did not feel deeply connected to Jewish learning until she went to Harvard University as an undergraduate.
“While there, I was introduced to the world of Jewish learning,” she said, “and the taste of that made me think about my own relationship with Judaism.”
She had thought about becoming a journalist. Then one day noticed that all the books she had been reading for pleasure were about Judaism; and she decided she wanted to pursue a career in the Jewish community.
She worked for the UJA/Federation of New York City, and then earned a master’s degree at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary.
She also did a research paper on Conservative women rabbis, which was “an excuse to talk to some amazing women. I really discovered how much I loved Jewish learning and living.”
Ultimately, she decided to enter the JTS rabbinical program. While there, she met and married her husband. While he was serving as an assistant rabbi to a congregation in Fairfax, Va., she worked for several educational endeavors for adults and college students.
Ben-Gideon pointed out that she has taught Hebrew school and at a Solomon Schechter Conservative movement high school, so she has experience in teaching children. Nevertheless, this position at the Madison will be her first as a school administrator.
“The responsibilities are wide-ranging,” she said. They include making sure the school runs smoothly, and “reaching out to the community … getting the word out there locally and nationally that we’re there and offer excellent education all around.”
In addition to her work for the school, Ben-Gideon directs adult education for Beth Israel Center, conducts some services at the Hillel Foundation University of Wisconsin, and is a rabbinic fellow in the Rabbis Without Borders program of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. She and her husband have twin girls, 8, and a son, 4.
Loading ...