Congregation Beth Israel: From the Study of the Rabbi:
Rabbi Paula Reimers:
A Bit About Me -- as I start my service to Beth Israel
Shalom Aleychem
The great cycle of the years turns, and it is time once again to let go of the past and look ahead to new beginnings. It is with great joy and thanksgiving that I begin my service to Congregation Beth Israel. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you whom I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting.
I was born outside Washington, D.C., and have lived and worked in many cities in the United States – among them New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles. I received a BA in Foreign Area Studies from Barnard College in 1969 and a Master of International Affairs and Certificate in South Asian Studies from Columbia University in 1971. I taught political science, sociology and women’s studies in community college in Detroit before moving to Los Angeles in 1978, where I worked resettling Vietnamese “boat people.” I attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. When the Conservative Movement decided to ordain women as rabbis, I applied and was accepted to the Rabbinical School. Following my ordination in 1990, I served as Rabbi for thirteen years in congregations in Los Angeles, Connecticut and Arizona.
Belief in God is the cornerstone of my religious identity, and the Jewish way of serving God – through mitzvot, study and deeds of loving-kindness – grounds me and fills my life with meaning and joy. I am especially interested in Bible, rabbinic literature, ethics and spirituality.
In 2003, I accepted a PhD Fellowship in Baylor University’s Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. This gave me the opportunity to study all aspects of the complex relationship between religion and politics: the complex history in the United States and in other countries; separation of religion and state in American constitutional law; modernization and the roots of religious fundamentalism; sociological aspects of American religious practice. The interplay between religious commitment and political power will mark the domestic and international world for decades to come – and it is critical for Jews to understand it. I have completed the course work, and only (!) need to take my comprehensive exams and write my dissertation.
As you can see, my interests and experiences are very broad, and I am sure that we will find a lot to talk about.
My husband, Robin Maisel, and I have been married for 36 years. We have not been blessed with children – but we do have two small dogs who think they’re children. Robin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in history, and from Western State University College of Law. He practiced law in California until 1999, when he retired on disability. He is especially interested in science, history and current affairs.
In the years to come, I hope to get a chance to share your stories. Please give me a call and let’s find a time to schmooze (chat).
Congregation Beth Israel and its Rabbi welcome your comments and inquiries, whether by phone, letter, fax, email, or personal visit. For confidential communications, please communicate by phone, letter or in person because email technology is not always secure and email privacy is not always protected by law.