Staff
Rabbi Rank, an award-winning Jewish songwriter, earned an MA in Jewish Thought and was ordained in 2015 at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Rank has been involved in Jewish education for many years and served as the Maskil (“Teacher-of-Tradition”) at the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where his spouse, Rabbi Dr. Raysh Weiss, served as Senior Rabbi. While living in Canada, Rabbi Rank initiated the annual Halifax Communal Beit Midrash, and collaborated with the community’s Education Committee in rebooting the Halifax Joint Hebrew School. Following his family’s return to the U.S, he became the Director of the Shul School at Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope, Pennsylvania. While managing the supplementary school, Rabbi Rank co-led a Virtual Youth Arts Beit Midrash serving youth across five states, designed a virtual reality Purim carnival, and created curricular materials for young Jews to engage with Jewish notions of responsibility towards marginalized communities and to the planet. Rabbi Rank has authored several academic articles, served as the Managing Editor of Zeramim: An Online Journal of Applied Jewish Studies, and is currently editing Siddur Kanfey HaShekhinah, a forthcoming traditional Ashkenazi Hebrew prayer book, where the language referring to God is with feminine grammar. An advocate for civic causes, Rabbi Rank was appointed in 2021 to the Environmental Advisory Council in the Township of Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania. Rabbi Rank’s family recently moved to Natick, MA.
Rabbi Chen has served as Executive Director of Hebrew Seminary since 2020. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Congregation Bene Shalom Religious School for over 15 years. She was ordained at the Hebrew Seminary in 2005 and since then until his passing worked closely with Rabbi Goldhamer as Associate Rabbi of Congregation Bene Shalom. She continues to perform life cycle events, participate in healing prayer and serve as a Hebrew Seminary Faculty member. She served as a hospice chaplain and participated in interfaith worship services at Sedgebrook Communities. Rabbi Chen has lectured at the Bernard Horwich JCC and led workshops at the Chicago Association for Young Children’s Education. Rabbi Chen taught B’nai Mitzvah students and adult Hebrew classes at Bene Shalom, alongside a variety of other classes and webinars. She has been on the faculty at Hebrew Seminary since 2013. In 2023, Rabbi Chen will become Dean of Students at Hebrew Seminary, where she will continue teaching and working closely with students, alumni, and faculty.
Becky is responsible for programming, partnerships, marketing, fundraising and alumni relations. Her experience involves conceptualizing and executing large community events, overseeing educational and social programming, leadership development, travel abroad and entrepreneurship programs. She is also the Founder of Community Connect Consulting, the Associate Director of Engagement for Reboot, and a voice-over artist.
Greyson “Grey” von Trapp is a new Chicago transplant from Texas, where he recently completed his Master of Arts in Dance with a Post-Master’s Certificate in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies. He brings several years of administrative experience from his time as a supervisor and graduate assistant at his alma mater, Texas Woman’s University. At the seminary, Grey designs systems for organizing and optimizing workplace operations in a way that is practicable, accessible, and easily maintainable; as well as attending to various clerical, secretarial, and general administrative needs.
“At Hebrew Seminary, I was taught 'how to learn' from wise and wonderful teachers while I was supported and learned from my dear chevruta (study partner) and classmates. I learned how to access our beloved Rabbinic texts in order to learn from our sages over the centuries. It was a taste of the olam haba (the world to come).”
“Hebrew Seminary’s approach was truly a blessing to me, to begin to understand that there was no single monolithic way to be or to do Jewish, and what that might mean in my own life and personal practice.”
“The signing has inspired me to become the woman I am today. I chose Hebrew Seminary as my rabbinic school because I never have to worry about an interpreter, classes are modified based on one’s needs and it’s an all inclusive place regardless of what abilities you have.”
“One of the best things about Hebrew Seminary was that we didn’t just study mysticism; we practiced it. Rabbi Goldhamer had us doing meditations and healing prayer in class. Nothing beats that kind of real experience. There were other top notch teachers as well whose fantastic teachings and perspectives still inform me today.”
“My rabbinic cohort is comprised of Jews of Color, LGBTQ+ Jews, Deaf Jews, Jews in interfaith/multicultural relationships, people who’ve previously been told that we don’t belong in Jewish communities, let alone deserve to lead them. Instead of sticking to that narrative, Hebrew Seminary is empowering us to learn from our people’s past and create a more just and inclusive Jewish future.”
"I wanted a school that had an innate spiritual approach to Judaism, and I found it. The things I want to accomplish in the rabbinate require training through a diversity-centered lens; as soon as I was exposed to the pedagogy that allowed me to tap into the world of the mystic, ASL, and deaf culture and modern approaches to the trends of Jewish life, I knew that this school fit my niche interests. Hebrew Seminary has been the calm in my storm. I'm motivated by learning to be exactly who I am here and much more."
"As someone coming to the rabbinate as a second career, I really struggled to find a seminary that felt right. Hebrew Seminary’s student-centered approach, legacy of Deaf and disabled accessibility, and inclusive values have created an environment where I can learn effectively and develop the skills I will need to serve the Jewish people in a rapidly changing world. I love that my learning objectives and needs feel prioritized by the excellent faculty, without sacrificing career preparedness."
“I remember that morning of the interview. It’s etched in my memory. I also remember the Rosh Yeshivah of Hebrew Seminary asking me if I wanted to become a rabbi. I thought for a brief moment and closed my eyes only to see myself standing at Mt. Sinai. Then I answered, 'We were all standing on Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah.' Dr. Goldhamer would become my mentor and teacher, especially in mysticism and Kabbalah, my favorite subject, a subject I continue to study to this very day.”
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