Autumn Years Fall 2023

been a problem for some,” she says. “As much as I do not like to be ignored, I found a way to just let it be. I have my work planned in the circles that I know respect me for what I am and what I do.” As an independent rabbi, she does the important work of serving and teaching people who are mainly unaffiliated with a synagogue. When she encounters people who wish to find meaning in their Jewish identity and seek ways to implement it in their daily life, she proposes questions such as “What kind of Jew do you want to be?” She says, “When people approach me for life cycle events, I do not always know them so it is a challenge to develop a rapport and trust with them. “For example, sometimes I am asked to officiate a wedding or a funeral. Just because they see me as a ‘liberal’ rabbi, they have expectations of my doing things that don’t exactly flow well with the Jewish law or practice. And with me, not everything goes. Most of the time, I am able to create a meaningful spiritual ritual as an alternative, which takes a lot of thinking and manipulating on my part.” Sometimes, she has to decline a client because she cannot participate in planning a ceremony that is not according to Jewish law. When she teaches, she uses an interactive, student-centered teaching style. “I like to ask students challenging questions that make them think. I encourage them to debate and have them involved in group projects,” she says. During COVID she was teaching via Zoom and used breakout rooms for discussions. Rabbi Ziona functions in a world of religious pluralism, noting that “while religions are different from another, there are also various degrees of practices and

Rabbi Ziona and husband Ron.

denominations within each religion.” She says, “We are invited to accept religious diversity and consider the fact that each religion is valid, has meaning and that there is no one religion better or worse than the other. The seminary from which I received ordination is a pluralistic seminary. “In teaching clergy how to serve the Jewish people, we learned the full spectrum of the Jewish community practices and Judaism, from Orthodox to Jewish Renewal. As such, clergy is comfortably able to engage in dialogue and understanding between different religious groups, seeking to learn from one another and to promote mutual respect and understanding. This also is carried out in the interfaith dialogues with clergy of all faiths that come together to develop interfaith activities.” This leads to a very problematic issue of anti-Semitism. Rabbi Ziona is fervent that it needs to be addressed from every

pulpit in synagogues, churches and mosques: “We have anti-Semitism and we need to talk about it—go beyond the misconceptions. “If children learn the value of compassion, they develop into individ uals who love to give and help in their community and personal life. Raising children in a faith can be a challenge because each family is different, so it is hard to set a template for raising kids in their proper faith,” she says. “I believe that what should be important for parents is to first create memories for their kids that are faith-based; for example, taking them to worship in their established religion, and practice tradition in a fun way.” She cites celebratory parts of the Passover Seder, Hanukkah and the High Holidays. “I think it is also important to explain to children why certain practices are the way they are, thus, focusing on the value of tradition. Parents are role models, and hopefully they can install

Rabbi Ziona says, “We are invited to accept religious diversity and consider the fact that each religion is valid, has meaning and that there is no one religion better or worse than the other.”

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FALL 2023 I AUTUMN YEARS