Helen Bar-Yaacov is an Uzbekistani-born American rabbi. She is the first ordained female rabbi in West Virginia (though there had been female student rabbis serving before being ordained previous to Bar-Yaacov's service.)[1] She began serving in West Virginia in 2002 at Temple Israel in Charleston.
From 2008 until 2013 she was the rabbi of Evansville's Temple Adath B'nai Israel.[2]
Bar-Yaacov was born in Uzbekistan, since her parents had fled Poland during World War II to escape the persecution of the Jews there.[3]
She grew up in Germany and Australia, and lived in Israel as a young woman, working as a tour guide and a teacher there.[4] She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2002.[5]
References
edit- ^ Calling brings female rabbi to state: Bar-Yaakov first woman to lead W.Va. synagogue Charleston Daily Mail, retrieved Aug 9, 2002
- ^ Evansville's Temple Adath B'nai Israel searching for new rabbi Courier Press, retrieved June 22, 2012
- ^ A journey of celebration Courier Press, retrieved August 23, 2008
- ^ "Temple B'nai Adath Israel Official Site". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ A Symposium: "Women and Leadership" Archived 2009-01-08 at the Wayback Machine West Virginia University at Parkersburg, retrieved April 26, 2006