Dear Temple Beth El Family,
I am excited to announce that from June 11th through August 8th, 
we will welcome Student Rabbi Hannah Elkin for a unique summer internship. Hannah is finishing her third year of rabbinical school at the Los Angeles campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). She is among a select group of rabbinical students awarded with a fully funded summer internship. The internship is designed to help her learn from a team of clergy, staff, and lay leaders within a larger congregational setting like Temple Beth El.
Rabbi Klass, Cantor Thomas, and I had summer internships while we were in seminary. During the school-year, rabbinical students serve smaller synagogues that cannot afford a rabbi. Students travel to the congregations to lead Shabbat services once or twice a month. While the student pulpits offer important training for future rabbis, the sought-after summer internships provide the students with mentorship from congregational clergy and an opportunity to experience day-to-day congregational life.
Hannah grew up in Dallas, Texas. Prior to matriculating to HUC-JIR, she received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a B.A. from Middlebury College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Hannah will receive a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters next month. She is also a candidate for a Master of Arts in Jewish Education which she will receive in 2019. Hannah is expected to be ordained as a rabbi in 2021. During rabbinical school she has served as a student rabbi at Temple Ner Ami in Camarillo, California and she has taught Religious School at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles. Last summer she completed 400 hours of chaplaincy and pastoral care training at a Children’s Hospital. She has served as the Director of Education at a URJ Summer Camp and is currently an AIPAC Leffell Fellow. Hannah’s academic interests and accomplishments are extensive. She is a top student in her class.
Student Rabbi Elkin will have a variety of responsibilities that are designed to help her grow as a rabbi and support our congregation through the completion of important projects. She will also have opportunities to shadow our clergy, teach Torah study, co-plan and lead worship, preach, and be part of our pastoral team. We are neither interviewing Student Rabbi Elkin for a job at Temple Beth El nor do we have plans to hire her after she is ordained. We are thrilled that she wants to learn from our professional and lay team and we are committed to her growth as a rabbi. This is a fantastic opportunity for Temple Beth El to have a role in teaching and training a future Reform rabbi who will go on to serve a community in North America.
Please look for opportunities, beginning mid-June, to welcome, meet, and interact with Student Rabbi Elkin. If you would like to host her for dinner, please contact my assistant, Liz Rutledge.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Asher Knight
