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Marcia Prager

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Marcia Prager
Born
Queens, New York, U.S.
Education
OccupationRabbi
SpouseJack Kessler
Websitemarciaprager.com

Marcia Prager is an American rabbi, teacher and spiritual leader. She was Director and Dean of the Aleph Ordination Program (now Emerita),[1] and rabbi of the P'nai Or Jewish Renewal community in West Mount Airy, Philadelphia.[2] Prager was the founding rabbi of a sister congregation, P'nai Or of Princeton, New Jersey, where she served for thirteen years. She is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia where she received rabbinic ordination in 1989. In 1990, she also received personal semikhah from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (Reb Zalman) with whom she worked to advance the Jewish Renewal movement until his death in 2014.[3][4][5]

Her work involves exploration of Jewish prayer and spiritual practice. Towards that end, she authored and edited the P’nai Or Siddur for Shabbat and Machzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which she designed to support a deeper worship experience.[6] Many of the Hebrew prayers have been translated into English in a way they can be sung to the prayer's nusach (melody). She is co-director with Rabbi Shawn Zevit of the Davvenen' Leadership Training Institute (DLTI), a two-year training program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders in public prayer.[7] Daven is a Yiddish word for Jewish prayer. She has been quoted for her Jewish Renewal-inspired teachings.[8][9][10]

Her book The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy and Abundance of the Divine aims to provide an introduction to Jewish Renewal.[11] Her other publications include the chapter “Live With the Times: Spiritual Direction and the Cycle of Holy Time,” in Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources[12] and “Friendship Counts Most,” the epilogue chapter in Interfaith Dialogue at the Grass Roots.[13] Prager has worked to promote Jewish inter-denominational and interfaith dialogue, teaching classes in Jewish spirituality in Philadelphia and at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut, as well as at Quaker Meetings including Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation in Pennsylvania.[14][15] Upon completing her rabbinic studies, she did additional training in individual, family and group psychotherapy.[16] On Tikkun Magazine's 25th anniversary in 2011, Rabbi Prager was awarded the Tikkun Prize in recognition for her work with the Aleph Ordination Program.[17] She was included in Letty Cottin Pogrebin's 2007 list The Other Fifty Rabbis in America,[18] and in a 2010 list of "America's most inspiring rabbis" by The Forward.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Appointment of Rabbi Marcia Prager as Dean Emerita of the ALEPH Ordination Program". 2022-02-08.
  2. ^ "P'nai Or Philadelphia Renewing Judaism as it Renews Us". pnaior-phila.org.
  3. ^ Milgram, Goldie (2015-10-16). "The Debate Over Intermarried Rabbis". Philadelphia Jewish Voice.
  4. ^ JTA archive (2007-01-16). "Renewal Wants to Keep Same Spirit While Standardizing Rabbis' Training". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  5. ^ Benaim, Rachel Delia; Bronstein, Yitzhak (2016-01-22). "Can Jewish Renewal Keep Its Groove On? After the death of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the mystical Renewal movement faces the future". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "Siddurim, Machzorim, Books, Cards".
  7. ^ Schwartzapfel, Beth (2009-08-12). "To Deepen Spiritual Experience". The Forward.
  8. ^ Wright, Barbara (2005). Jewish Renewal in America: 22 Stories of Transformation, Spirit, and Community (Rabbi Marcia Prager pp.54-61). iUniverse. ISBN 9780595361076.
  9. ^ Sonsino, Rifat (2002). Six Jewish Spiritual Paths: A Rationalist Looks at Spirituality (pp. 81, 129, 145). Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 9780595361076.
  10. ^ Niebuhr, Gustav (2000-09-09). "Religion Journal; Affirming Values Without Religion". NY Times.
  11. ^ Prager, Marcia (2003). The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy and Abundance of the Divine. Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 9781683364122.
  12. ^ Marcia Prager (2006). "Live with the Times: Spiritual Direction and the Cycle of Holy Time". In Howard A. Addison; Barbara Eve Breitman (eds.). Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources. Jewish Lights Pub. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-58023-230-2.
  13. ^ Marcia Prager (2009). "Friendship Counts Most". In Rebecca Kratz Mays (ed.). Interfaith Dialogue at the Grass Roots. Ecumenical Press. ISBN 9780931214110.
  14. ^ "Waiting on God" (PDF).
  15. ^ Mays, Rebecca Kratz (2008). "Introduction". Journal of Ecumenical Studies.
  16. ^ Hyppolite, Jean-Bernard (2011-11-30). "Celebration in Mt. Airy for beloved Rabbi". Chestnut Hill Local.
  17. ^ Tikkun (2011-03-18). "Our 25th Anniversary Celebration and Awards". Tikkun.
  18. ^ Letty Cottin Pogrebin (April 16, 2007). "The Other Top Fifty Rabbis in America". Lilith. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  19. ^ Birkner, Gabrielle (2010-07-21). "The Sisterhood 50". The Forward. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
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