Laura Baum

Rabbi Laura Baum is a Founding Rabbi and the Chief Operating Officer of OurJewishCommunity.org and a Rabbi at Congregation Beth Adam in Cincinnati. With expertise in social media and the changing needs of the Jewish community, Laura has created an innovative model for engaging those seeking new ways to connect to Judaism. Under her leadership, OurJewishCommunity.org provides meaningful Jewish connections for Jews around the world and was named by Slingshot as one of the top 50 innovative Jewish organizations. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale, she has rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College and an MBA from Xavier University.


Articles by Laura Baum

Shabbat in a Fast-Paced World

I have a confession. I had intended to post this blog on Friday, but I’m only getting around to it ...

Science and Rosh Hashanah Do Mix

What did you do this Rosh Hashanah? I spent my holiday in synagogue applying the scientific method, snacking on honey-flavored ...

Always the Rabbi, Never the Bride? Adding Values to a Jewish Wedding

Having officiated at many weddings over the years, I sometimes joked to my friends that I was “always the rabbi, ...

A Bat Mitzvah Gives Voice to a Woman in Science

While the model is generally that students learn from teachers, yesterday I was reminded that teachers learn from students as ...

When Holidays Overlap

It’s Shavuot! It’s Memorial Day weekend! It’s my first week in a new city! In fact, it’s all three of ...

Love or Hate? The Mainstream Media and the Jews

When I was in high school, I boarded a bus every Saturday morning to take extracurricular classes on topics like ...

Passover: Fact or Fiction

Passover is definitely one of my favorite holidays. It’s generally observed at home – with friends and/or family. There are ...

Purim: Not So G-Rated

When I think of the Purim holiday, I tend to think of noise-making, carnivals, costumes, and cookies. It was definitely ...

Five Ways the Super Bowl is like Online Judaism

As a rabbi of an online congregation, I am often asked about whether people have “real” Jewish experiences online. Some ...

Fix Society. Now. Please!

It’s been just over a week since Leelah Alcorn committed suicide. Leelah grew up not far from where I live ...