Author: Mala Blomquist
(Jewish News) On July 1, Rabbi Emily Segal will begin her new position as senior rabbi at Temple Chai in Phoenix. She and her family will move to Arizona in mid-June after serving as rabbi of Aspen Jewish Congregation in Aspen, Colo. Before Colorado, Segal served as associate rabbi at Temple Jeremiah in suburban Chicago, where she provided leadership to a 900-member congregation.
She is also about to begin a second term as co-president of the Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN), the national organization of Reform women rabbis, which represents more than 840 women, nonbinary and genderqueer rabbis.
“It’s a pretty broad scope of work that the WRN takes on and it has been a meaningful outlet for advocacy for me and my rabbinate, as well as a source of precious friendship, community and camaraderie with my colleagues,” said Segal.
“We’re excited for Rabbi Segal and we all think she’s going to be able to continue our growth and attract new members,” said David Weiner, executive board president at Temple Chai. “She’s already a national leader with the Women’s Rabbinic Network and will definitely be a great addition to our leadership.”
Weiner stated that the search for a new rabbi took about six months, with many applicants willing to relocate to Phoenix. “We had a lot of good choices, but Rabbi Segal stood out.”
Segal grew up in Virginia, where her family was members of Temple B’nai Shalom with Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, who she shared was a major part of her and her family’s life.
“I still consider her ‘my rabbi’ and she recently agreed that when the time comes from my installation at Temple Chai, she’ll come install me,” said Segal. “It’s going to be so meaningful to me and a treat to share her with the Temple Chai community for that weekend.”
Segal had an “aha” moment when she was 16 years old regarding her future career path. She had been recently elected as president of the temple youth group and they sent her to URJ Kutz Camp, the NFTY youth leadership camp, in Warwick, N.Y.
“It was my first exposure to broader Jewish life outside of our little community in Virginia, to daily services, to people discussing the Torah portion, to different ways of being Jewish and engaging Jewishly,” said Segal.
When she returned from camp and was writing a d’var Torah on the story of Noah, she found herself becoming more engaged and enjoying the process of reading different commentaries and interpretations.
Segal remembered telling her mother, ‘I wish there was something I could do with my life to be involved in the Jewish community and always learn and maybe teach. I’d like to help people and be part of their lives and also be able to sing because I enjoy singing.’ Then my mom said to me, ‘You know, that’s called being a rabbi.’”
At that moment, it was like a switch flipped and Segal knew her path.
Another formative part of her youth was witnessing her father’s progression toward Judaism. “My dad converted to Judaism when I was in elementary school,” shared Segal. “I’m a believer in the power of interfaith families to create engaged Jewish families with strong Jewish identities. I think that’s an important part of me and certainly informs my work in the rabbinate and what I strive to create in the congregation.”
She is excited to join Temple Chai and can’t wait to engage with the staff, lay leaders and congregation in “joyful engagement with Jewish life.” Segal said that her view of Judaism isn’t an obligation or a burden but a fun and joyful part of life.
“It’s a gift that we’ve been given by the generations that came before us,” she said. Not only are we going to do important work and lift each other up and support each other, but we’re going to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously. We’re going to create fun moments together and laugh. I think joy is essential, not only to Jewish survival but to our thriving. And so we are going to embrace the joy of being Jewish together.”
Segal shared that the lasting relationships she forms with her congregants are one of the greatest blessings of the role. To be part of people’s lives in a powerful way, from small informal moments to major lifecycle events, both sharing joy and supporting people in times of sadness, is the core of her rabbinate.
She also loves learning and teaching people of all ages. “Learning is fuel for me —from really little kids to people in later phases of their lives when they have more time to dig into Jewish learning. Learning with people is another major joy for me.”
“Rabbi Segal is a wonderful storyteller, great teacher and very engaging,” said Weiner. “We really wanted somebody that understood young families as well as our seniors. She can really relate to both ends of the spectrum.”
Segal met her husband, Scott, walking up the steps of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. They were married two weeks after they both were ordained in 2010. The couple has two children, Samantha, 10, and Ezra, 7.
She said her family is “outdoorsy” and looks forward to exploring Arizona. Segal joked that the first question everyone asks when finding out the family is moving here in June is, “Have you been to Arizona in the summertime?”
“We’re not afraid of a little bit — or a lot of — heat,” she said. “We are very excited for this next adventure, making new friends and not having to bundle up all winter!”
This article was originally posted on Jewish News.
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