Author Archives: Alexis Pinsky

Alexis Pinsky

About Alexis Pinsky

is a fourth year student in the rabbinical program at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. Alexis was born in and grew up in Atlanta, GA. She attended college at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA where she double majored in Jewish Studies and Psychology. Alexis graduated from Tulane in three years cum laude with a BS. This year, she is serving as the rabbinic intern at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York. In her third year of school, Alexis served as the Student Rabbi at Beth Sholom Temple in Fredericksburg, VA. She has held positions on the board of New Orleans Hillel, and has led services with Hillels of Westchester, New Orleans Hillel, as well as her home congregation of Temple Sinai of Atlanta, GA. Alexis has a passion for Jewish Education and has taught religious school, Hebrew, Torah study, and various adult education programs at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan, Touro Synagogue in New Orleans, and at Beth Sholom Temple. She has a great love of Israel, where she has lived, led trips, and traveled extensively. During her time at Tulane, she served as the Grinspoon Israel Advocacy Intern, and spearheaded Israel education and programming on campus. Alexis is thrilled to be a part of the Sh'ma community this year.

Not Yet Settled

Alexis Pinsky
February 7, 2014

When German Jewish theologian Franz Rosenzweig was asked whether he performed particular mitzvot, he did not give a simple “yes” or “no” answer. He was known for replying “Not yet.” Rosenzweig recognized religion as a process, something living and capable of change. When people find out that I’m studying to be a Reform rabbi, they More »

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Caught in the Middle?

Alexis Pinsky
January 2, 2014

Each day in our liturgy, we remember that God took us out of Mitzrayim. While Mitzrayim is the name given to Egypt, there is a belief that the word is derived from m’tzarim meaning from narrowness or from tightness. When we pray, we remember how good freedom from restriction and constriction is. In this month’s More »

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Life in the In-Between Places

Alexis Pinsky
November 1, 2013

Are you a Jewish-American, or an American-Jew? Be careful what you choose. The order in which you voice these aspects of your identity could be revealing about which piece you feel is more fundamental to who you are. In light of the recent Pew Research Center’s survey on Jewish life in America, Jewish identity seems More »

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Avodah: At Your Service?

Alexis Pinsky
September 23, 2013

  Ascending the steps to the roof, I turned to my Israeli host and asked; “Are the services up there?” The roof that I was heading for was high on a hillside in Tzfat, and I was preparing to invite in Shabbat just as the medieval Kabbalists had done centuries before me. As we reached More »

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