Rabbi Naamah Kelman

Biography

Rabbi Naamah Kelman is a descendent of 10 generations of rabbis, becoming the first woman to be ordained by the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 1992, where she served as Dean for 15 years. Before becoming Dean, she served a variety of roles there, including as director of the Year in Israel Program.

Born and raised on New York’s Upper West Side, Rabbi Kelman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Hebrew University. Kelman has lived in Israel since 1976, where she has worked in community organizing, Jewish education, and the promotion and establishment of Progressive and Pluralistic Judaism for Israelis.

Naamah Kelman has been intensely involved in the emerging education system of the Israeli Movement for Progressive (Reform) Judaism. Among the founders of the first Progressive pre-school and day school, she has overseen the development of curricular materials, teacher training programs, and family education.

Over her 37 years at HUC, she was involved in teacher training and enrichment, the professional development of the Israeli Rabbinic students, the establishment of spiritual care/Israeli chaplaincy programs, and shared society programs. She was very involved with the Israeli Renaissance Movement with the founding of Panim, the Tali Education Fund, Rabbis for Human Rights, and Project Kesher, and has been a trailblazer for the Jewish world, empowering generations of leaders and advancing pluralism, social justice, and interfaith collaboration. She supervised the publication of Dabri Torah an Israeli feminist commentary on the Torah with over 200 women of all backgrounds participating (edited by Rabbi Alona Lisitsa).

Now retired, she remains involved and committed to promoting feminism and women’s leadership, Israeli Jewish Pluralism, Israel Diaspora relations, the revitalization of Jerusalem and the pursuit of co-existence and interfaith work. She now has more time for her perfect grandchildren.