This summer, Rabbi Wendi Geffen became the ninth senior rabbi-and the first female one-in the 95-year history North Shore Congregation Israel (NSCI). Geffen, originally from Dallas, has served there since her rabbinic ordination in 2002.

“The profound gift of serving as a rabbi enables me to share my love of Judaism and its potential to foster growth and understanding, with the hope of changing lives for the better,” Geffen said. “As a compelling and vibrant faith and culture, Judaism- its practices, prayer, teachings and interpretations-enables us to transform ourselves, our communities and our world from the way they are to the way they can be.”

Geffen will lead one of the largest congregations in the Chicago area, with 1,350 families. In addition to her spiritual duties, Geffen will administer a multi-million dollar budget; she is dedicated to developing funding sources beyond membership dues.

With this appointment, Geffen becomes one of only five young female rabbis nationwide to head synagogues with memberships with more than of 1,000 families.

She described her vision for her congregation, saying, “Today’s synagogue must be recognized as a living, dynamic, networked organization. When we redesign what the ‘walls’ of the synagogue look and feel like, people will gain a powerful sense of connection in an expansive, yet intimate way.”

Geffen’s formal installation took place in late August. The guest speaker was Geffen’s own congregational leader, Rabbi David Stern, the senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, the third largest Reform synagogue in the US.

Her installation weekend culminated with several social justice projects that highlight her priority of service to the community. She is also spearheading the congregation’s participation in Operation Backpack (see p. 13), and its efforts in providing meals for families in need.

Geffen further said she plans to expand on the synagogue’s mission of maintaining an open, inclusive congregation that welcomes interfaith families, families with special needs, people of varied backgrounds and the LGBTQI community.

Recently, Geffen spoke at a fellowship luncheon at Stone Temple Church when it welcomed members of the Jewish community to their Sunday morning prayer service, prior to a tour of North Lawndale, a neighborhood that was once a central hub of Jewish life in Chicago. The tour, organized by JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council in partnership with the church, showed leaders from the Jewish and African-American communities historical sites from the shared history of both communities.

Geffen and her husband, Scott Duby, are the parents of two young children.