then cantor in Las Vegas. Why become a rabbi? Rabbi Gindlin is quick to explain “I always had a lot of ideas that had to do with interfaith community building and social action. These ideas went beyond the role of a cantor. The things that I wanted to spend my time on were the things that rabbis were doing, so I realized that's what I had to do”
And while Rabbi Gindlin’s appointment to Congregation Shir Chadash will certainly provide her with the opportunity to act upon those ideas, her work in the areas of interfaith community building and social action was well underway while she was still serving as a cantor in Las Vegas. Working with the Las Vegas Valley Interfaith Sponsoring Committee, she helped launch Nevadans for the Common Good, a sister organization that enables community leaders to engage in public life. She delivered the opening prayer at the group’s founding convention in front of 1,500 leaders from 65 congregations and community organizations in Nevada.
Rabbi Gindlin organized the 2013 Global Day for Jewish Learning for the city of Las Vegas, and traveled to Israel with a group of Christian pastors and rabbis from Las Vegas, on a trip organized by CUFI (Christians United for Israel).
As a newly ordained rabbi, Rabbi Gindlin is keenly aware of the challenges currently facing American Judaism. She succinctly points out, “There seems to be a breakdown in communication between some of our institutions and large parts of the Jewish community. Some of our synagogues seem to support a way of life that is no longer being embraced by their congregants.”
But Rabbi Gindlin remains optimistic about how this problem will be resolved, adding, “The magic of Judaism is that throughout our history, we have been able to renew and reconstruct ourselves; to preserve our traditions while reforming those things that need to change.”
One aspect of modern synagogue life that has undergone major re-examination is the traditional dues structure associated with synagogue membership.