About me
Judith Edelman-Green is a Rabbi and Jewish educator who was ordained at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 2009.
She has initiated and led programs designed to break down societal barriers and stereotypes, by bridging the wide divides that separate the varied religious groupings of Jews in the State of Israel. Most recently, she has devoted her time to pastoral care-giving as a Rabbi-Chaplain.
Rabbi Judith Edelman-Green has been employed as a Spiritual Caregiver in two blood-cancer wards (hematology-oncology and bone marrow transplants) of Tel HaShomer Hospital for the last five years. She has comforted, supported, and uplifted patients, families and staff of all religions and backgrounds. She teaches in-person and online courses on facing illness, death and dying, and seeking a life of meaning in varied settings.
In 1995, Judith founded the Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah Program for Children with Special Needs, which she directed for 10 years. The program continues as an affiliate of the Masorti Movement, and reaches thousands of children throughout Israel annually, touching and influencing constantly-widening circles in Israeli society. As an outgrowth of this work, she established Netaim, the first Israeli-Jewish camp for young people with special needs in 1999, as part of Camp Ramah-Noam. She convened national conferences on Special Needs in Jewish Education. In 2002, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles awarded her a prize for this work.
All the programs Judith has directed shatter long-held prejudices, foster a humane, tolerant approach to Israeli society, and bring the polarized Jewish state one step closer to Tikkun Olam (perfection of the world). In recognition of her accomplishments, Judith was awarded The Liebhaber Prize for the Promotion of Religious Tolerance and Cultural Pluralism in Israel in 2003. She is also a recipient of the Woman of Distinction Award given by the Women's League for Conservative Judaism, and the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Israeli Society given by Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem (2008).
For eight years, Rabbi Judith Edelman-Green served as Rabbi at the Jewish Religious Union (Reform) in Mumbai, working with Benei Israel Jews for the High Holidays. This enabled her to build delightful, colorful, spicy and very spiritual bridges. Rabbi Judith hopes to return in 2024 and take part in the centenary celebrations of this unique community in 2025.
Rabbi Judith has been active in interfaith groups promoting interpersonal understanding between Arab and Jewish women for many years. She lives in Kfar Sava, Israel with her husband, Dr. Bernie Green. They have three adult children, Raphi, Shira and Ilana, and two grandchildren.
