Beth Tzedec Communications Manager Michael Goodbaum sat down with Rabbi Fryer Bodzin to ask her questions on her 20 years as a rabbi and her upcoming honorary doctorate. 

20 years ago you were ordained as a rabbi. What does it mean for you to receive an honorary doctorate now from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies?

It’s a privilege to be honoured for two decades of a meaningful, impactful rabbinate, that has occurred in two countries and three major world-class cities.

What memories do you have from your graduation and what do you remember feeling when you graduated 20 years ago?

I remember more than 20 members of my friends and family flew out to Los Angeles. I treated the milestone like a simcha and made baskets to go in the rooms for everyone staying at hotels. There were at least three parties or receptions in my honour. There was a Shabbat dinner thrown by the shul where I worked, something my family in Orange County put together, and the Rabbi Daniel Greyber who presented me at ordination, he and his wife threw a nice party in the afternoon, the Sunday before the ordination. I gave a d’var Torah at that party… but can’t remember what it was about twenty years later.

What I remember from the ordination is that it was at Sinai Temple in L. A. and I worked really hard to get there.

When you first entered rabbinical school, did you ever think you would one day be a rabbi at one of the largest shuls in North America?

No!!! Absolutely not.  The Jewish community was very different 25 years ago. When I entered rabbinical school, we were celebrating 120 women in the Conservative rabbinate, and this year we are celebrating 40 years.

Times have changed. In the year 2000,  I knew with certainty that I would never return to Toronto! At the time, there were no women serving Conservative synagogues here. But I did return home for a couple of yom tovs, as I  worked for Rabbi Elyse Goldstein twice and led her overflow High Holy Days services at Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning. I am pleasantly delighted by how this city has evolved and embraced egalitarianism in many synagogues.  Truthfully, I’ve always seen myself as a rabbi, not a “female rabbi”. I hope that others see me that way too.

Do you keep in touch with your fellow graduates?

The answer is yes, with most of them. We’re all part of the Rabbinical Assembly and other various rabbinic organizations, so we see each other at least once every year or two, sometimes more. Seeing them is like the feeling of reconnecting with family you haven’t seen in a while, or friends you haven’t seen in a couple of years, and then it’s just like it was yesterday. My classmates and I spent five intense years together: births, deaths, and so much Talmud! We spent a year together in Israel, where some of us walked around with gas masks. That was actually a hard year. When we lived in LA, we were like family, and we still have that bond. When I spot a classmate across the room at a conference or walking down the street in Israel (which has happened multiple times), it is like in the movies. The reunion is felt on every level. We shared something so special together. It is a little hard to believe it was twenty years ago, since I still look the same.

What is a message you have for anyone thinking of going to study to be in the rabbinate?

If in your soul you love Torah, you love people, you love the Jewish people,  and you love God, then do everything you can to make it happen. It is worth it.

Why do you like being a rabbi?

I like being a rabbi because I go to sleep every night knowing that I was able to use the wisdom of the Jewish people to provide meaning to peoples lives. Whether it’s Torah, Talmud, or something a colleague of mine has said, there is so much within our tradition that is able to touch everybody. I specifically like being a Rabbi at Beth Tzedec because my values align with the six values of the synagogue and I feel privileged to be able to pray, learn, celebrate, care and connect to people every day. That is a bracha. That is a true blessing.

Rabbi Fryer Bodzin is receiving an honorary doctorate from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University, Monday, May 19, from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. You are invited to watch live, click here>>