Resume


Rabbi Anne Persin


GingeetAnne@gmail.com ∙   847/917-2224




Who I am…
  • I am a teacher: nothing excites me more than when I see the lightbulb go off over someone’s head or when someone is truly transformed by a new understanding from information that I was able to share.
  • I am a learner: my lifetime goal is to learn every Jewish text in all of its forms and with all of its quirks.  I have a tremendous respect for tradition and I am dedicated to the great Reform ideal of choice through knowledge.
  • I am community minded: I am energized and reenergized by spending time with my community, my family, and my friends.
  • I am enthusiastic: people often comment on how much energy I have.  My passion for Judaism and community is evident in nearly all I do.
  • I am welcoming: it is my pleasure to meet, pray with, break bread with, and learn with all people, from all walks of life.



_________________ MY RABBINATE _________________


Kehilla: Creating Holy Community
  • My goal is to create a sense of family within the congregation and with Jews all over the world.
  • I have served in congregations from 25 families to 850 families, from metropolitan to rural, from Classical Reform to Contemporary Reform, and I have appreciated each one and have learned extraordinary lessons from them all.
  • I have built healthy and active committees from scratch, drawing a diverse group of people together for a common cause.
  • I supervise with compassion; the congregation thrives when every working member feels heard and sees how his/her role is holy in its own right.
  • I rally people to come together in acts of Tikkun Olam, Repairing the World, such as feeding the homeless, blood donations, microlending projects, and book drives.
Chinuch: Teaching Torah from Generation to Generation
  • My goal is to expand all learners’ possibilities as they connect with God, play with texts, and feel a part of K’lal Yisrael, the Community of Israel.
  • I teach topics all over the spectrum of Jewish thought and tradition—from Life & Times of the Prophets to Jewish Cooking to A Reform History of Brit Milah—as well as skills such as Hebrew, Torah Cantillation, and How to Lead Services and Torah Study.
  • As the principal of a religious school and Hebrew school, I envisioned and implemented an innovative Whole Family School model engaging parents and children together in their Jewish education.
  • I support and create informal and formal education—the more intelligences we engage, the more meaningfully the learner will connect to the learning experience—so I tell stories, sing songs, create art, and get on the floor to play with students.
  • I encourage every person—throughout every stage of life—to ask questions; wrestling with God and tradition is one of the greatest blessings of being Israel.  
Hadracha: Guiding Others on Their Jewish Journeys
  • My goal is to get to know people along their own unique Jewish journey and to try to figure out a way to bond with each one, meeting them where they are spiritually.
  • I have been teaching Introduction to Judaism since the beginning of my rabbinate, working with conversion candidates from diverse and rich backgrounds.
  • During my time in active engagement work, I learned that often the best place to have serious Jewish discussions is not in the rabbi’s study but rather the local coffeehouse.
  • Through outreach programs such as Chicago Shabbat Hop, Intro to Shabbat Dinner Program, and Home Havdallah How-To, I have given people safe and comfortable ways to enter into the Jewish community and to bring more Judaism home.
  • One of the greatest joys of my rabbinate has been connecting and reconnecting people to a Judaism that is meaningful for them.


_______________ RABBINIC POSITIONS _______________


Am Shalom, Glencoe, Illinois Education Consultant 2013-Present
Sunday to Thursday, I teach, guide, pinch-hit, and give a lot of feedback on how to adapt classes and systems within the school.  
Temple Beth-El, Dubuque, Iowa     Rabbi 2013-2016

Once a month, I had the privilege to pray, learn, and sing with the 25 families of this lovely, rural congregation.  
Union for Reform Judaism, Chicagoland Engagement Specialist 2013-2015
On a 2-year grant, I was a guide and educator to people on a Jewish journey who did not know where or how to connect to the community.
B’nai Torah, Highland Park, Illinois Rabbi Educator 2011-2013
In a time of great transition for the congregation, I oversaw the religious school program and created a place of enthusiastic and creative learning.  
North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation, Tahoe Vista, California   Rabbi 2007-2011
As the only Jewish professional in this mountain congregation of 120 families, I created a warm and engaging worship experience for all ages.  
Temple Beth-El, Northbrook, Illinois Associate Rabbi 2004-2007
As part of the clergy team of this 850 family congregation, my portfolio included alternative worship experiences, social action, youth, education, and administering the b’nai mitzvah program.
Jewish Joliet Congregation, Joliet, Illinois Interim Rabbi 2004
In a time of transition, I served the congregation and was able to bridge the worship of the Conservative and Reform segments of the community.  
Beit Warszawa, Warsaw, Poland Student Rabbi 2002
I had the profound honor of bringing this fledgling congregation their first Torah scroll, donated by the Jews of Clarksdale, Mississippi.
B’nai Chaim, Littleton, Colorado Student Rabbi 1998-2000
I was serving this lovely congregation of 100 families when the shooting happened at Columbine High School within a mile of the synagogue.  We cried together and we prayed together.  I offered invocations at communal events.  Even 1,000 miles away, I felt tragically connected to the entire community.


____________ ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE ____________


Faculty Member, Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute 2007, 2012, 2015, 2016
Keynote Speaker, Thanksgiving Interfaith Service, Dubuque Area Congregations United 2014
Scholar-in-Residence, Triennial Conference, NOAM: The Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism
2014
Shavee & Fundraiser, 36 Rabbis Shave for the Brave, St. Baldrick’s 2014
Performer, “Voices” Tahoe Women’s Services play raising awareness of abuse 2010
Hospital Chaplain, Truckee Tahoe Forest Hospital 2007-2011
Founding Member, United for Action, Kings Beach, California 2007-2011
Our mission was to connect the non-profit organizations and faith communities of North Tahoe so that we might collaborate on programs such as our Stone Soup program.
President & Vice President, Northbrook Clergy Association 2005-2007
Intern, Louis Summer Internship, Jewish Federation of Chicago 1993
I had the honor of working at the Ezra Multi-Service Center providing services for the underprivileged and disabled in Uptown and Lakeview.


__________________ EDUCATION __________________


Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Rabbinical Ordination, May 2003
  • Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters, May 2002
  • Thesis Topic: Fairy Tales in the Talmud
  • ACPE Clinical-Pastoral certification, 1 unit (400 hours), Summer 1999


University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
  • Bachelor of Arts, May 1995, Cum Laude
  • Major: Women and Judaism in Community Service
  • Thesis Topic: Jewish Women’s Leadership on College Campuses


Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

  • Rothberg International School Study Abroad Program, 1993-1994