Lighting the Spark
“The spark that I would like to be lit is their own inner soul.”
There is a global Jewish community, and each member has the opportunity to share its values with their immediate friends and neighbors. These are ideas held dear by Graduate School of Jewish Studies Class of 1989 graduate Rhonda Lillianthal, who now works as Director of The Center for Jewish Life at JCC Metrowest New Jersey. In that capacity, she also directs a site of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Lillianthal spends each day helping Jews either rediscover or ignite their spirituality. Her teaching is an extension of the meaningful way that faith guides her own actions.
“I’m hoping I can offer my students a glimpse of the possibilities of what Jewish life has to offer,” says Lillianthal.
And by illuminating Judaism’s myriad concepts, and creating an atmosphere where questioning and curiosity are encouraged, there’s no doubt she’s offering that and more.