Dear ones –
I write to you with a pre-Shabbat (and Rosh Hodesh!!) update, of sorts. I say of sorts because while much of this is shabbat-specific, it is also about this current chapter in my life more broadly.
I am about to head to Brooklyn for my final shabbat as the rabbinic fellow at Park Slope Jewish Center. I will teach Torah on this week’s parsha as it relates to reproductive justice and refugee resettlement, and some of our amazing lay leaders have coordinated a Lunch and Learn with HIAS.
The fact that PSJC is observing Refugee Shabbat this weekend is, in a way, a full circle moment. In 2019, I left Washington, DC, where I was doing immigration justice work, to start rabbinical studies in New York. While this felt almost impossible at the time, it was a necessary step in my professional and personal development. May will mark the end of my formal studies, though I feel the learning has only just begun. Godwilling, I will receive rabbinic ordination, a MA in Jewish and Gender Studies, and a Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling from the Jewish Theological Seminary. As part of this culmination, this week, I had the honor of teaching Torah amongst beloved teachers and friends during my senior sermon.
The past five years have been full of national and global challenges, my own personal health journey, exciting self-discovery, meeting my life partner, and both deepening and building relationships that I cherish. Life sometimes feels like a whirlwind, sometimes a slog, sometimes truly miraculous, and sometimes, all three at once. As much as I miss DC, I know so much of my life now would not be a reality had I not made the move. It is with a similar sense of loss and optimism that I anticipate the next chapter.
My fiance, Patrick, and I plan to be married in early June and move to Kansas City over the summer. I have accepted a job at a congregation with a community that we simply adore, Beth Shalom in Overland Park. We hope to not be strangers to DC, NY, Philly, and AZ, where we have loved ones.
In the meantime, I’m working on finishing a few projects –
By the end of March, I plan to submit a MA thesis that begins to articulate an approach to Jewish law informed by spiritual care, gender studies, and disability justice. I use menstruation and pelvic health issues as a site for exploring this topic. I will have some limited availability to teach this new material virtually in April and May. Please reach out if this is of interest.
In April, through the Park Slope Jewish Center, I will teach an in-person adult education series on learning Talmud in the original language. This will be a mixed-level learning space, open to members and non-members who know the Hebrew alphabet (and further experience is not required)! I am proud to run this program not only as a culmination to my part-time work at PSJC, but also as a member of the Pedagogy Chaburah, a year-long professional development program run by svara. Brooklynites, stay tuned - registration will open around Purim!
Last, and coming up the soonest, I am delighted to be speaking at an interfaith forum on immigration, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem on February 22. Those in the vicinity are invited to join.
If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading. A note on staying in touch – it is not lost on me that substack’s politics are questionable these days. I have to figure out what this means for disseminating writing. For now, please know that the best work email for me is rabbi [dot] talia [dot] kaplan [at] gmail [dot] com, and I house professional updates at taliakaplan [dot] com. For personal stuff, you know how to find me. :)
Shabbat Shalom,
Talia