“Rabbi Janet Marder’s work with interfaith couples is truly inspirational. I will never forget her High Holiday thank you and hug on the bimah to our non-Jewish spouses several years ago. She has similarly reached out to our LGBT community, ex-Soviet émigrés, Israelis, veterans and people with disabilities. Recognizing that participation is critical, and that congregants of various ages and levels of religious involvement enter our doors, Rabbi Marder has spurred programs that grapple with concerns ranging from interfaith issues to mental health and marriage. She also reaches out to those in crisis. She has enriched the Shabbat experience with an invigorating Saturday morning Torah study program, which has grown from some 30 participants to more than 200. Rabbi Marder has a vision to move our sacred community along our personal Jewish journeys, and she is our guiding light to take us there.”

—MARK HOLTZMAN (also nominated by two others)

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