Insights from Jerusalem: Felicia Joins Hartman’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative

This summer, Rabbi Felicia Sol joined the eighth cohort of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative. She shared a little bit about the importance of participating in this fellowship for the next three years. This interview was edited for clarity and brevity. 

QUESTION:

Can you tell us about Shalom Hartman Institute as an organization?

RABBI FELICIA SOL:

The Shalom Hartman Institute was founded by Rabbi David Hartman, alav hashalom [may peace be upon him], in 1976. Hartman had been a modern Orthodox congregational rabbi in Montreal and made aliyah in 1971 with his family. He established the Institute to be a center of Jewish thought and education serving Israel and North America. Its mission is to strengthen Jewish peoplehood, identity, and pluralism; to enhance the Jewish and democratic character of Israel; and to ensure that Judaism is a compelling force for good in the 21st century. Hartman was a prolific author and he had a vision of tolerant and just Israeli society driven by Jewish values. Funnily, in 1993 as I was spending my first year of rabbinical school in Jerusalem, I lived in the Katamon neighborhood, just a street away from a large construction site. It turns out that would become the Shalom Hartman Institutes home, where I have been learning every day! Rabbi Donniel Hartman (David Hartman’s son) and Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer are the co-presidents of the Institute and it has grown enormously both in Israel and in North America under their leadership.

I’m participating in what’s called RLI, Rabbinic Leadership Initiative, which is a three-year program for seasoned rabbis who are recruited to the fellowship. The hope is really to, first of all, give rabbis a chance to learn and grow at a critical time in their leadership and to learn Hartman Torah—Torah rooted in a pluralistic Judaism, a values-driven approach, and constructive conversations. Many of the leaders and teachers are among the greatest thought leaders in the Jewish world today. We recently had a session with Tal Becker, who is the senior vice president at Hartman—he has been in the room where it happens around negotiations with Palestinians and around the war for many, many years. 

QUESTION:

For you in particular, what are some of your goals of participating? It’s a significant commitment. Why do you think it’s beneficial for you to be participating in this particular fellowship? And at this particular time? 

FELICIA:

I was invited to apply to the fellowship for a number of years, but my life didn’t really allow for it. One of the reasons now is a good time is that my kids are at camp now, which allows me to be focused and dedicated to the work here. So from a practical point of view, it was possible for me to finally be able to do it. 

The second thing is that it’s obviously been a deeply challenging time, and I think one of the places of growth and expansiveness and hope is to be living in a conversation that’s rich with learning and ideas. As a rabbi, who obviously spends my time supporting, teaching and serving the community, it’s an incredible gift to be invested in and to have such precious time with colleagues and great teachers in such an intensive way. It’s rejuvenating. 

Plus, we have a great team at BJ, so I feel comfortable leaving and making this kind of commitment. Obviously, I’ve spent a significant part of my life being in Israel. I’ve lived here for a couple of years of my life. I have studied here. I have visited often. I have led many BJ trips. I have a lot of friends here. But it’s powerful to have these three years where I know that when I come, it isn’t to pop in and out on a quick trip, but really to be able to spend significant time here. I can really invest in a deeper conversation with my friends, colleagues, and teachers here. I also love living in Jerusalem!

I think Hartman’s Torah offers a lot to the world, and I think the investment that this fellowship makes in us as rabbis and teachers ends up coming back to the communities we serve. The richness that I receive in my fellowship will manifest itself in speaking and teaching at BJ. The connections that I make with my American and Israeli colleagues and the time to strengthen relationships with our Israeli partners, many of whom are connected with Hartman, will be invaluable in the work we do at BJ. 

QUESTION:

Can you speak a little bit about what the environment is in Israel now as opposed to what it was like in January the last time you visited? 

FELICIA:

Well, it’s a different kind of experience. In January, we were on a BJ trip that was really focused on October 7 and the war. The feelings of despair and trauma and heaviness that we experienced were significant. Right now, it is very different. I am in my own apartment. I’m spending most of my day at the Institute. The war comes up in pretty much every session we have; it is obviously on our minds. Everyone has had a hard year. Rabbis have had a very hard year. So it is in the air in a very significant way. But at the same time, it’s not the only thing. I’m living here rather than being on a trip to go see and meet people only about that. Of course, there’s still a sense of the intensity of what’s happening here, but, in some ways, it’s bizarre. People are living their lives—going out to dinner, going for drinks—and at the same time, there is a war going on not far away. 

I think there’s a low-grade sense of despair. The trauma is ongoing. There are protests happening all the time. That’s part of the rhythm of life now. People just wish it would stop. The majority of people just want a cease-fire primarily so the hostages will come home. Unlike in NYC, no one tears the hostage posters down. They are everywhere—signs of individuals and large signs with pictures of all the hostages demanding their return home. It’s also true that there is very little coverage about what is happening in Gaza from the media here. It’s a very different experience than living in the States (though of course I still read the New York Times on my phone while I’m here). There’s a lot of worry too about war breaking out in the North.

QUESTION:

BJ has several significant partnerships in Israel. Will you have an opportunity to touch base with any of them while you are there? 

FELICIA:

It’s amazing, actually. Over fifteen years ago, we took a trip where we brought a Torah to Nigun Halev, a community in the north. Roly and I sat down with Moti Zeira, who was at the time the head of HaMidrasha, and Shay Zarchi, who was on their team, and one of the rabbis of Nigun Halev. We were talking about their idea of starting a rabbinical school. Today, I ran into Shay because he is one of the leaders of the Israeli rabbinic program at Hartman. It’s a beautiful thing. They created this incredible rabbinical school in partnership with the Hartman Institute. Many of the people who were part of Hamdrisha, a secular educational Institute designed to open up the Jewish canon, experienced a spiritual awakening in many ways through their relationship with BJ. That has translated into communities being built and leaders of those communities wanting to actually become rabbis—in a very organic, uniquely Israeli way. So I don’t actually have to travel that far. Many of my connections here and even with Hartman are deeply interwoven with those original relationships that started and have progressed in lots of interesting and powerful ways over the course of the last 25 years. 

QUESTION:

What are other ways people can learn some Hartman Torah?

FELICIA:

Actually, we partnered with Hartman for the Jewish Identity, Belonging, and Community Process around Interfaith Marriage in 2016/2017 and we’re partnering with them again on a lecture series in the fall around faith and democracy in America. We have a long-term relationship that we have cultivated over many years. We value their teachings and the community will experience more of that through this series in the fall. In addition, there are many lectures and resources on the Hartman website.

Look for another update from Felicia later in the summer as she continues engaging in these important conversations with American rabbis and our Israeli partners.