What did you do or do for work?

I was ordained in 1982 as one of the first 50 female rabbis in America. I served congregations in New York, Maryland and for most of my career, I was both rabbi and cantor at a congregation in Western MA. I loved being a rabbi and I loved singing the liturgy. It was enormously satisfying work and I loved the congregations and the people I served. For the last ten years that I served my congregation, I began to sing the American songbook, mostly in fundraising concerts for my congregation.

Ten years ago, I retired from my congregation, moved to NY and began a ’second act’ as a cabaret singer. In 2018, I presented my debut cabaret show which was a musical memoir of my life as a rabbi, wife and mom and the transition to singer (but still also wife and mom :). Since then, I’ve presented two more shows and I’ve also traveled around the country presenting my shows, mostly to Jewish communities. I am enormously grateful for the career I had and the new career I have now embraced.

I am on a cabaret retreat in Puerto Vallarta and brought both my Alembika dresses for performing! They are so easy and comfortable that I don’t have to worry about what I’m wearing, only the actual performance of the songs.

How would you describe your style as a teenager?

Full on dork/nerd. Hair down to my waist, granny glasses, overalls. I came of age in the late 60’s/early 70’s and truly believed that any clothing that suggested femininity implied that I couldn’t be taken seriously. Oh, I took myself so seriously. And although you didn’t ask about my style as a young adult, I will add that as a young rabbi (I was 26 when I was ordained), I felt that I had to embrace serious business clothing—suits, suits and more suits–to be taken seriously at a time when women rabbis were a rarity and not always supported. The only exception to this were my three pregnancies when voluminous maternity dresses were the order of the day. The idea of form-fitting maternity clothes which so many young pregnant women embrace was unthinkable to me. I will also admit that after my last pregnancy, I never returned to the strict business clothing regime. I felt much freer to wear business casual which for me, was sweaters, full skirts and boots.

How would you describe your style now?

I’m not sure I could describe my current style as being one thing or another but I’m proud of how diverse my clothing is. I love bold colors even though as a New Yorker, I still wear a lot of black. I love statement jewelry and I try to support Israeli jewelry designers when I can. I still love my sweater/skirt/boots look but now it also includes tunic sweaters and leggings. I love scarves and try to collect new and beautiful ones from all my travels so that I’m reminded of the places I’ve visited when I wear them.

What would you do with a whole day to yourself?

Take a walk around the reservoir in Central Park, make and enjoy a big healthy breakfast, read my novel, work on some music, talk to my friends and/or kids, go to see a Broadway show or a friend’s cabaret show. I am so lucky that my retirement occasionally includes such wonderful days.

Who gave you the most valuable piece of advice and what was it?

A dear friend when seeing me struggle with my first born when he was a toddler and I was so afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing as I tried to maintain a 50-70 hour work week, looked at me with love and told me that kids are resilient and he will survive all of your mistakes because they are made with love.

A wonderful professor told us, ‘be yourself…unless you’re a schmuck. Then, be someone else”. Another, possibly more appropriate version of that is “be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

And finally, I am inspired by Pirkei Avot, a tractate of the Talmud which teaches: “you are not required to complete the work but neither are you free not to begin it.”