Rabbi Judith Kempler

We are delighted to welcome Judith Kempler, who joined our Beth Am family in July 2010 as our Rabbinic Fellow, specializing in outreach and engagement with unaffiliateds in their 20s and 30s, young families and empty nesters.

Rabbi Kempler will be “the rabbi around town,” hosting Shabbat meals, holiday celebrations and services away from the Temple Beth Am campus. In addition to working outside the building, Rabbi Kempler will be teaching our BJewish courses, working with interfaith couples and conversion students. She also will be co-leading “Rosh haShanah Under the Stars,” and participating in Shabbat and holiday celebrations throughout the year.

Rabbi Kempler is a recent graduate of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, and holds a Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature. She was ordained in May 2009.

A native of Columbia, Maryland, Rabbi Kempler graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies and a concentration in Modern Dance. Upon graduation, she took a position as a Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow (JCSC) at American University Hillel in Washington, D.C.

As a student at HUC, Rabbi Kempler served several congregations in the tri-state area, including Rodeph Sholom (NY) and Sutton Place Synagogue (NY) and served as the rabbinical intern at Temple Beth Or (NJ). Upon ordination, she joined the staff at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue as the Youth Director. She also taught adult Hebrew, led Torah study and facilitated the URJ’s Introduction to Judaism course. She has also officiated at several life-cycle events, in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to working in the American Jewish community, she travelled to the Former Soviet Union to lead Passover seders and participated in an American Jewish World Service rabbinic delegation to Senegal.

When not working or studying, Rabbi Kempler is an avid runner, yogi and modern dancer. She loves to cook and regularly makes a “mean” chocolate-chip challah.

Judith Kempler was married in May 2008 to Daniel, a lifelong Beth Am member. He works as the Director of Business Development for an ethanol trading firm.