Rabbi Aviva Fellman

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky

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Even rabbis need to have rabbis. Three years ago we hired Rabbi Fellman, a fifth-year student at JTS, to read Torah and help out in our congregation. As the “senior rabbi,” my job was to serve as her mentor. Rabbi Fellman quickly became a colleague and an important part of our community, not just a student. By the middle of the year, we asked her to stay on as our associate rabbi. Rabbi Fellman has brought a new spirit of joy to our congregation, while dealing with two major hurricanes which devastated our community. During the first hurricane, while I was out of town, Rabbi Fellman managed to call all 300 families in our synagogue to check in on them. Most of all, Rabbi Fellman has inspired me to be a better rabbi. She is warm and caring. A Shabbat does not pass without guests at her dinner table. She teaches and lives Jewish values. Together we have learned and grown.

— Rabbi Mark Greenspan