By Leyna Krow, JTNews Correspondent
Although she’s only been at Gonzaga University a few short months, Elizabeth Goldstein has already made her mark on campus as the faculty’s only rabbi.
In fact, it is believed that Goldstein is the first rabbi ever to teach at the university. A Gonzaga spokesperson was unable to confirm whether this is true, saying the school has seen a lot of faculty pass through in its 125-year history, but he felt it was probably a safe bet.
It’s a distinction Goldstein, 38, is happy to embrace. This semester, Goldstein is leading classes in Judaism and the Hebrew Bible.
“They really seem to love having a rabbi here,” she said.
Gonzaga is a private Jesuit university and Goldstein is by no means the only member of the clergy in the religious studies department.
“But they didn’t really have anyone who was teaching Judaism,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein received her rabbinical ordination from the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College and her Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the University of California at San Diego. She said it has always been her intention to teach Jewish studies, and when she saw Gonzaga was looking for someone for such a position, she jumped at the chance.
She said she feels Gonzaga is a particularly good fit for her.
“As a Jesuit university, Gonzaga takes a serious approach to religious studies,” she said. “There’s also a heavy emphasis among Jesuits for social justice, which is a passion of mine as well.”
In addition to her academic responsibilities, Goldstein said she has also become a default spiritual advisor for many of Gonzaga’s Jewish students. She said she’s planning to organize a campus Passover seder and is looking for ways to act as a bridge between the university and the Spokane Jewish community at large.
“In my Judaism class, one of the requirements is for students to visit a Jewish congregation,” she said. “So that’s one way of exposing Gonzaga to Judaism and the Jewish community to Gonzaga.”
Goldstein has also involved herself in a number of the spiritual activities taking place on campus. She said she’s been attending a Taize prayer group, which she describes as “mostly just meditation and chanting from Psalms.” Last month, she was invited to help lead the group with some chants of her own choosing.
“It was very fun,” she said. “The best part was watching the nuns who were there chant in Hebrew.”
She said that the university, and her colleagues in the religious studies department in particular, have all be very welcoming.
“Everyone has been super enthusiastic,” she said. “It’s a great department with a lot of very smart people. We always have something to talk about.”
Moving from California to Eastern Washington was a big change for her and her family, Goldstein said, but they’re adapting to their new home.
“I just haven’t been in a place where you have to go so far to be in a big city,” she said. “But we’ve found the Jewish community to be very welcoming. And I can get what I need here — kosher meat and that sort of thing.”
Goldstein is not the only one in the family working in a Jewish capacity. Her partner, also a rabbi, is the new executive director for the Spokane Area Jewish Family Services. In addition to getting acquainted with their new professional posts, the couple is busy raising two sets of twins.