RENCONTRE

Rabbi Sari Laufer

Among other things, I am a teacher, writer, working mom. I am a learner, shoe-holic, friend, thinker, wannabe wanderer, pop-culture connoisseur, and a former Jeopardy contestant. I am prolific Tweeter (@rabbilaufer), avid indoor-cyclist, and aspiring epicure.

I graduated (cum laude) from Northwestern University (Go 'Cats!), and was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2006, where I was also a Wexner Graduate Fellow. I served Congregation Rodeph Sholom in NYC for over a decade, and am currently the Chief Engagement Officer at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles.

You can get a sense of how I like to learn and teach through my writing for Kveller.com, MyJewishLearning.com, and ReformJudaism.org, and I was the rabbinic advisor for the Kveller Haggadah. I teach most often on the subjects and questions with which I am struggling, bringing my passion for rabbinic texts, high and low-brow pop culture, and Judaism’s wisdom and relevance in the 21st century into the lives of those with whom I privileged to learn and to share. A New Yorker by birth, upbringing, and soul, I live in Los Angeles with my husband and two children. When I am not teaching, writing, or begging my children to clean up, you can find me hiking, at the beach, or sitting around eating cheese and laughing with close friends.