Rabbi Ellen Lippmann
“When I sought out a synagogue at which to convert to Judaism, I went through a number before I found Kolot Chayeinu. Built on Rabbi Lippmann’s dream of a coffeehouse and the understanding that doubt can be an act of faith, I immediately felt at home. But it was when I actually heard her speak — in that deliberate, focused and brilliant way that she does — that I knew I’d found my rabbi. The first time we met, I was so terribly nervous, but she calmed my nerves with her gentle presence. Rabbi Lippmann never rushed me through my conversion, but rather waited and coaxed me gently through. She continued to push me to give drashot and eventually to join the board of Kolot Chayeinu. It is a commonly heard phrase around the synagogue that we are “the tribe of Ellen” and it is only partially tongue-in-cheek. Rabbi Lippmann is the glue, the bedrock, the lighthouse.”
—MEL KING (also nominated by 25 others)
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
