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Prologue
My name is Rabbi Shachar Whyte, and I used to feel Synagogue B’kol Makom (or, as it is often called, SBM) was a safe, friendly congregation. I thought I had hit the jackpot when it came to landing this job. Unlike my best friend from rabbinical school, Rabbi Rachel Rubin, and many other female rabbis I know, I hadn’t had my clothes or shoes criticized, and no one, not even the older male congregants, had ever called me sweetie. Rachel always presented these stories as amusing anecdotes, but I know how much sexism and disrespect (whether conscious or unconscious) bothered her. I sometimes wonder if Rachel faced more harassment than I did because she looked like a cute little pixie with gorgeous waves of chestnut hair while I had limpish hair that occasionally resembled tree bark, and there was no way I would ever fit into a dress smaller than a size 10. Unfortunately, my sense of having won the job lottery changed drastically this past October.
Nothing in my rabbinical school training prepared me for this! I spent five years learning important Jewish texts like the Torah (sometimes referred to as the 5 books of Moses, the bible, or the old testament, depending on your religious belief system). We also spent a lot of our time studying commentaries, stories, and explanations of the Torah. I even took a class where we learned some distinguishing characteristics of the prophets, and at least one was focused on the details of Jewish history in different countries. I studied the intricacies of halakha (Jewish Law). I read, discussed, debated, analyzed and absorbed a lot of material.
Rabbinical school wasn’t all cerebral, though. When we weren’t immersed in 2000-year-old texts, we practiced liturgy and the elements of lifecycle events. We even practiced officiating at funerals by creating ceremonies for long-dead celebrities and for imaginary congregants. We familiarized ourselves with the intricacies of Jewish mourning. But never once did we talk about what to do when you find a dead body in the synagogue building!
I never thought the omission of lessons about what the rabbi is supposed to do when a murder victim was discovered on the Bima* right before Shabbat (Sabbath) services would be an issue!
*(the raised platform at the front of the Synagogue where the prayer leader usually stands)
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