Rabbi Sarah Mack: People person and social reformer

Sarah Mack has been a rabbi at Temple Beth-El, in Providence, since 2003.  Mack, who grew up in Seattle, graduated from Brandeis University in 1996 with degrees in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and English. She spent a year studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and was ordained in 2003 at the New York campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Mack is president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island, and on the boards of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty. Among her many interests is promoting marriage equality and social justice.

Rabbi Mack and her husband, Jeffrey Isaacs, live in Providence with their two sons.

Recently, she answered questions for The Jewish Voice.

Q: Favorite part of being  Jewish?

A: My favorite part of being Jewish is the shape and rhythm of Jewish life. I like the way the [Jewish] calendar gives meaning not only to the week, with Shabbat, but also the flow of the seasons. It allows you to be mindful of the passage of time through that rubric, celebrating, reflecting and growing as you go.

Q: Favorite Jewish holiday?  

A: It’s hard for me to choose a favorite Jewish holiday because there are so many that I find delightful. I feel like it has changed [for me] over the years. Holidays that I loved before have taken on a new meaning as I celebrate them with my children. One of those, in particular, is Purim. My kids love dressing up, making hamantashen, and the story of Purim.

Passover is also a really important holiday to our family. We do a big seder with cousins, and it is something we talk about a lot as a family, learning about redemption and our responsibility to be redeemers based upon our history as a Jewish people.

Q: Favorite Jewish food?

A: Chocolate babka.

Q: Best part of keeping Kosher, worst part of keeping Kosher?

A: I think the best part of keeping Kosher is that it informs one’s life with Jewish meaning every single day. We [Jews] certainly spend a lot of time thinking about food, so to take a moment to reflect on what is fit to eat, whether that be organic, eco-friendly or heksher, is important. I think it is a gift to find that Jewish meaning, sanctity and holiness every time we sit down for a meal. The worst part: Limits and boundaries. They can be both a blessing and a curse.

Q: Favorite Jewish songs?

A: “One Day” [by] Matisyahu and “Yihye Tov” [by] David Broza.

Q: Favorite Jewish movies?

A: “The Frisco Kid,” “The Jazz Singer” and “Hester Street.”

Q: Favorite Jewish celebrity?

 A: [Supreme Court Justice]Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Q: Favorite Israeli city to visit?  

A. Jerusalem. I’ve lived in Jerusalem and it’s incredibly dear to my heart.

Q: Favorite Israeli city to live?   

A. Tel Aviv. I love Tel Aviv as a nexus of Jewish life, culture and contemporary Jewish identity. Also, [I like] the desert. There is something spiritually moving to me about the desert. The sounds, or lack thereof, never fail to move me.

Q: Favorite Hebrew words and why?

A: Melafefon – cucumber. I like it just because of how it sounds, and they’re delicious. [Also] savlanut – patience. I think we all could use some patience.

Q: Favorite Yiddish word?

A: Beshert – soul mate.  

Q: Favorite part of being a rabbi?

A: My favorite part of being a rabbi is people. I love people and it is a gift and an honor to be able to be involved in peoples’ lives. I get to accompany people through joyful times and difficult times. To walk with people through sorrow is an honor. It is not always easy, but to be able to be present in peoples’ lives is truly what drives me and makes this such a meaningful position.

This will be my 14th year at Temple Beth-El coming up, and being able to officiate at Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations for babies we named is an incredible gift. Also, my first confirmation students are getting married. Being able to see that full spectrum of life is my greatest joy.

Q: Favorite Jewish memory from your life?

A: [As a child] I always enjoyed our Passover celebrations. We had a big seder with friends and family. I also have very positive Jewish camp and youth group memories that I think, in many ways, influenced my decision to become a rabbi.

Q: Greatest piece of advice someone has given you?  

A:“Be kind.” From Rabbi [Leslie] Gutterman, former senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El [in Providence] and my friend and mentor.

 Q: If you could have three dinner guests, living or from history, who would you choose?

A. Chaim Nachman Bialik [a Jewish poet and pioneer of modern Hebrew poetry].

I would love to sit down with him because of his nexus of Jewish literature and culture. I would like to hear his take on where we [the Jewish people] are now.

Isaac Mayer Wise  [Father of Reform Judaism]. I would be fascinated to see what he has to say about the state of the American-Jewish community.

Rachel “Ray” Frank [religious leader in the mid-1800s]. Women were not being ordained then, but she gave many lectures. She was amazing, and I think it would be cool to “take her pulse” on what it was like to be a female leader in the American-Jewish community then.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a female rabbi in a mostly male-dominated position?   

A: I would say that it actually is no longer a male-dominated position. The incoming classes of rabbis are 50-percent-plus female and have been for years. There are hundreds of female rabbis out there these days and it [the profession] no longer feels male-dominated. I believe, in Rhode Island, there are five female rabbis, and I feel well represented.

To deny that gender plays a role in the rabbinate would be disingenuous of me, because I think it does. I hesitate to say that women bring something different to the rabbinate than men bring. I think it has to do with individuals. But, just like women doctors, lawyers, financial professionals, etc. face challenges based on gender, I think female rabbis face some of those as well.

Overall, I think that personality and who you are as a person brings a lot to the rabbinate, not just gender.

Q: You are involved in several social justice causes in Rhode Island. What do you hope to achieve with this work, and why is it so important to you?

A: There’s a lot that needs to be done [in Rhode Island]. I have high hopes for sensible gun legislation and very high hopes for a woman’s right to choose, and would love to see that passed in Rhode Island. I am very committed to legislation that is related to poverty and quality of life, including issues such as sick leave, bus passes, etc. There is a lot we can do on a state level, and I’m grateful that Rhode Island has an incredible interfaith coalition that works together for social justice.

This work is so important to me because it is part of my Jewish self and it always has been.

The Reform movement really focuses on prophetic justice and that is an essential piece of my Judaism. We were once slaves in Egypt, therefore we know the heart of the stranger, and it’s our responsibility to care for the vulnerable. This is in my heart and is a very important piece of being Jewish to me.

SAM SERBY is a freelance writer who lives in East Greenwich. He previously worked at the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv.