Alysa Stanton poses in front of an ark in the synagogue at Hebrew Union College, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Cincinnati.Stanton is to be ordained June 6, as mainstream Judaism's first black woman rabbi. She will become the rabbi at Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville , N.C. , on Aug. 1.(From Time magazine; also featured on ABC news
Alysa Stanton, of Lakewood , Colorado , will
soon be the first female African-American rabbi anywhere.
Cleveland Heights native Alysa Stanton, an African-American woman who
converted from Christianity to Judaism two decades ago, is about to
change the course of world history.
The 45-year-old single mother of an adopted teenage daughter recently
completed rabbinical school and is about to become the first ever black
female rabbi, experts say.
Alysa Stanton
• Age: 45
• Born: Cleveland , lived in Cleveland Heights
• Achievement: First black women to be ordained a rabbi.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology; master's in counseling
and multiculturalism; and a master's in Hebrew letters.
• On God: "I don't believe one has to warm a pew to be religious or
spiritual. I can find God in the mountains, in the trees, in the smile
of a baby. My God is too big to be boxed in."
Stanton will be ordained June 6 in Cincinnati where she graduated from
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She has already
secured a position at a synagogue in North Carolina .
Scholars believe Stanton will be the first black clergy woman in the
history of a religion that traces its roots back thousands of years to
Old Testament patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism first began ordaining
women in the 1970s and 1980s. But no black woman has been ordained
until now.
"I try not to think about it," Stanton said in a telephone interview
from Cincinnati this week. "It's daunting. I'm taking it with a sense
of awe and reverence. And a healthy dose of fear.
"I try not to focus on being the first. I focus on being the best --
the best human being, the best rabbi I can be."
Stanton was born in Cleveland and lived in Cleveland Heights, attending
Boulevard Elementary School , until she was 11 when her family,
Pentecostal Christians, moved to Denver .
It was in Cleveland Heights , she said, where she began a spiritual
quest, sampling various Christian denominations, but eventually coming
to Judaism.
"I believe I was born Jewish, but not of a Jewish womb," she said. "I
had to make it legal."
Stanton said she was attracted to the culture, creed and social justice
work of Judaism. "It involves more than worship," she said. "It's a way
of life."
In 1987, she converted, becoming one of the few black members of
Denver 's largest synagogue, Temple Emanuel , where she taught religion
and was a cantor.
With academic degrees in psychology and counseling from Colorado State
University in Denver , Stanton worked as a psychotherapist before
enrolling in Hebrew Union College in 2002. She studied in Israel her
first year.
"It's been quite a journey," she said, noting that along the way she
amassed $250,000 in student loan debt.
Asked whether she still carries remnants of Christianity, she quickly
responded: "I'm a Jew. But the fabric of our lives -- each thread --
hones us into who we are.
"My mom, for example, gave me the undeniable, unshakable faith in God.
That didn't change by my becoming a Jew. My history makes me therabbi
that I am. I want to help people in their spiritual journey whatever
that may be."
Joking, she added, "Some of my best friends are Christians."
Stanton is one of 43 rabbinical students who graduated this year from
the three campuses -- New York , Los Angeles and Cincinnati -- ofHebrew
Union .
Only about half of them have found work. Because of tough economic
times, school officials say, congregations are contributing less money,
forcing synagogues to tighten budgets.
Large congregations are going without assistant rabbis. Small
congregations are merging. And shrinking retirement funds are forcing
veteran and retired rabbis to keep working, crimping the job market.
"I am blessed," said Stanton, who, on August 1, will become rabbi of
Bayt Shalom in Greenville , N.C. , a 53-family congregation affiliated
with both the Conservative and Reform movements.
"I was their first choice," she said. "They were my first choice."
The irony of a black woman presiding over a white congregation in the
deep south is not lost on Stanton .
"God has a sense of humor," she said.
Rabbi David Weisberg, who taught Stanton Biblical studies at Hebrew
Union , said he was confident his student will do well wherever she goes.
"She's a good teacher and she brings lots of faith," he said. "I hope
some day we won't be concerned whether people are black or white, but
what they contribute to the community. Alysa makes a big contribution
to the community of humanity."
Stanton 's ordination has drawn widespread media attention from dozens
of news outlets as far away as England and Israel . And the buzz is
traveling quickly throughout the Jewish community worldwide.
Jewish scholars Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University and Ori Z.Soltes
of Georgetown University , both told The Plain Dealer they know of no
evidence of a black female ever being ordained a rabbi.
"It's very exiting," said Soltes.
Rabbi Joshua Caruso of Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple inBeachwood said
Stanton was treated like a celebrity when she came to his temple in
January last year for a Martin Luther King Day service.
"People were fascinated," he said. "She is a special lady. She's very
charismatic. As a preacher, she has some wonderful stylistic skills and
deliveries that will grab people."
More than 50 friends and relatives from 12 states and Canada are going
to Cincinnati to celebrate Stanton 's ordination. Her mother, Anne
Harrison, 79, and daughter, Shana Michaela Stanton, 14, will be there.
So will the press.
"I'm living in a fishbowl," said Stanton , longing to be out of the
limelight. "But that comes with the honor I've been given.
"Up until now I've avoided interviews. But now it's celebratory time
and it's nice to be able to spread a little hope, inspiration and joy."