Malibu Rabbi Judith HaLevy was appointed the 36th president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California May 17 at the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue. She is the second woman to lead the organization, which currently consists of 330 members.
HaLevy began her rabbinic education during the 1980s and moved to Los Angeles in 1992. She intended to stay for only a year, but became an essential member of the community and remained for 19 years.
“I was given incredible gifts to become the rabbi I am at a time when women didn’t really become rabbis,” HaLevy said.
One of HaLevy’s top goals is to understand and create opportunities for civil discourse in the diverse Los Angeles Jewish community. She is well known for helping the Malibu Reconstructionist congregation grow and flourish.
“I feel responsible to stand up and take a role that is perhaps out of my comfort zone to validate the women that made all these changes happen over the last 50 years,” HaLevy said.