Rebecca Sirbu

Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, is the Director of Rabbis Without Borders at CLAL – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Rabbi Sirbu directs two rabbinic fellowship programs, teaches seminars to rabbis, rabbinical students, and lay leaders across the country, and coaches individual rabbis in attaining their career goals. She was the founding director of the cutting edge MetroWest Jewish Healing and Healing Center at JCC MetroWest and the Center for Jewish Life at JCC MetroWest in West Orange, NJ. In addition, she is a trained hospital chaplain and speaks and writes on issues of health, healing, spirituality, and Jewish women. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vassar College, she holds a masters degree and ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America.


Articles by Rebecca Sirbu

What Makes a Rabbi a Rabbi? Can a Rabbi Be Ordained Online?

What makes a rabbi a rabbi? The number of years of study? The ability to lead a congregation in prayer? ...

Should Girls Wear Kippot? The Answer Will Surprise You!

To have fully egalitarian practices must we have the same standards for both boys and girls?

God of Runners, God of Responders

A Rabbis Without Borders Fellow, Rabbi Aaron Weininger wrote this beautiful poem/prayer in response to yesterday’s attacks. We are praying ...

Light One Candle

Today is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Millions of words have been written about the millions murdered by the Nazis. ...

Dayenu – You are enough

The highlight of my Seder and of many I have attended is the singing of the “Dayenu” prayer. “dayenu” in ...

The Power of a Smile

I grew up in Texas, like in most of the South, people in Texas greet each other warmly and a ...

Offensive or Good Fun?

This past weekend was Purim, a holiday full of laughter, parody and dress up. Fittingly, many Jewish groups release Purim ...

Why Rabbis Should Talk About Israel

Should rabbis talk about Israel? In years past, Israel was a subject which united people. You could always count on ...

Americans love Jews, Really!

The Jewish community needs to gain some self-confidence. We are like the beautiful teenage girl who looks in the mirror ...

Rabbi, How do we respond to this tragedy?

First we cry, then we act.The murders that occurred on Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School are beyond my ...