New York, NY– Rabbi Dalia Marx, Ph.D. is the 2024 recipient of Women of Reform Judaism’s (WRJ) Rabbi David Ellenson Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion Faculty Award.
Marx is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at HUC-JIR’s Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem and teaches in various academic institutions in Israel and Europe.
Through her work in liturgy and feminism, in addition to her meaningful teaching of both the next generation of rabbinic students and Reform Movement leaders, Marx was selected for this honor.
“Since my days as a student at HUC-JIR, I have been in awe of the great work of Women of Reform Judaism. It is a great honor and privilege for me to receive this recognition from an organization I hold in such high esteem and particularly meaningful to receive it in the name of my beloved mentor Rabbi Ellenson z”l,” said Rabbi Dalia Marx, Ph.D., Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of liturgy and Midrash, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute Religion, Jerusalem.
Marx, a tenth generation Jerusalemite, earned her doctorate at Hebrew University and her rabbinic ordination at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem and Cincinnati in 2002. She is involved in various research projects and is active in promoting liberal Judaism in Israel. Marx writes for academic and popular journals and publications. Most recently, her book, “From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar,” which was already translated in several languages, was released in English from the CCAR Press.
“Women of Reform Judaism takes deep pride in both bestowing an award in honor of Rabbi David Ellenson and selecting a faculty member from Jerusalem as an uplifting moment during this difficult time,” WRJ Executive Director Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch said.
The WRJ Faculty Award was established in 2013 in honor of Rabbi David Ellenson upon his retirement as president of HUC-JIR. The award was renamed in his honor after his death in 2023. The award is given biennially to a member of the HUC-JIR faculty or administration who has supported WRJ in its endeavors and whose work exemplifies the values and mission of the organization.
The inaugural recipient in 2013 was Rabbi Dr. Gary Zola, Executive Director Emeritus, Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Other award recipients include Dr. Richard S. Sarason, Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea Weiss, Ph.D., and Dr. Dana Herman.
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Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) is a network of Jewish women working together to empower women and communities worldwide through the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice. WRJ, founded in 1913, is the women's affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the central body of Reform Judaism in North America. For more information about WRJ, please visit www.wrj.org.
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion was founded in 1875 to provide rabbinical training for those who would offer progressive, enlightened, and modern spiritual leadership for the new American pulpit. Today, HUC-JIR is the premier Jewish seminary in North America and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. Learn more at HUC.edu.