A Conversation with Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills

Rabbi Laura Geller joins Rabbi Ari Averbach to reflect on a 50‑year rabbinical journey shaped by civil‑rights activism, feminist awakening, and deep engagement with Jewish ritual. Rabbi Geller traces formative moments—from a kibbutz stay and student organizing at Brown to becoming part of the first generation of women rabbis—that led her to insist that “there is no important moment in the lifetime of a Jew for which there is no blessing.” She recounts creating new rituals, reimagining liturgy with gender‑inclusive language, and the classroom experiences that helped forge her approach to tradition and change.The conversation explores practical responses to midlife and aging: a synagogue listening campaign that birthed HiVillageLA and the Synagogue Village Network, her books Getting Good at Getting Older and Moments That Matter, and innovative home‑sharing covenants with rabbinical students to combat loneliness and mentor the next generation. Laura also honors Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis’s influence—especially his emphasis on training lay leaders and building empowered communities—and describes how those lessons continue to shape contemporary Jewish life.Rabbi Geller closes with spiritual practices that sustain her work, including Jewish meditation through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and the ongoing study of texts that integrate prayer and social justice. She offers a blessing from Moments That Matter about endings as beginnings and invites listeners to notice, mark, and bless life’s transitions with wisdom, community, and grace.Websites referenced in our discussion:www.sefaria.orgwww.chaivillagela.orgsynagoguevillagenetwork.org