Rabbi Daniel Boaz Betzel of central Ohio has dedicated his work to building bridges between Jews and non-Jews. He is quickly becoming the Rabbi of choice for many interfaith couples. Rabbi Betzel explains, “Love is the greatest power on Earth and the major doctrine of all faiths. So, it is my privilege to assist interfaith couples in creating a meaningful ceremony that reflects and respects both faith traditions.” (Click Here to See Original Press Release)
Rabbi Betzel also speaks and teaches for the interfaith community. Shortly after his ordination, Rabbi Betzel was the guest Sunday morning speaker at the Unity Church in Delaware. They asked him to speak about “Judaism and Shabbat”. Rabbi Betzel is currently teaching two five weeks courses in the Spiritual Education and Enrichment Department for Unity’s Teacher Education Program. There is great interest in his two courses: “Overview of the Hebrew Bible” and “Interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures”.
In the eight months since his ordination, Rabbi Betzel has been very active leading services, traveling and planning for next year. He explains: “One of the year’s highlights was co-officiating Yom Kippur Services with Rabbi Jennifer Rudin in Holliston, Massachusetts.”
Rabbi Betzel was ordained by the Jewish Spiritual Leadership Institute (“JSLI”) in 2017 and is a member of Union for Jewish Universalist Congregations (“UJUC”). Rabbi Steve Blane, a founder of the UJUC, said, “The Union encourages our Rabbis to collaborate, and we are excited to see so many examples of our Rabbis working together to bring relevant, thoughtful, and meaningful progressive Judaism to their communities.”
Rabbi Betzel will be in Israel during the upcoming High Holidays (5779/2018). He will be working, studying, celebrating, and participating in the High Holidays with members of a Kibbutz in the Negev.
Rabbi Betzel just returned from a 10 day trip to Israel where he explored the history of Zionism that included an amazing stop in the ancient city of Safed to view the Davidka-a piece of artillery used in the defense of Safed during the War of Independence. While in Safed, he also attended an exhibit and lecture on Kosmic Kaballah Art.
The UJUC is a group of progressively minded rabbis and their communities who welcome participants from all walks of life. The Union seeks to nurture the greater good by emphasizing compassion and love for all humankind through the lens of Jewish history, liturgy, rituals, traditional texts, and holidays. More information about Rabbi Betzel as well as her contact information can be found at the UJUC’s website: http://ujuc.org/rabbi-daniel-betzel/
About Sim Shalom and UJUC
Sim Shalom is an interactive online Jewish Universalist synagogue, which is liberal in thought and traditional in liturgy. Sim Shalom provides accessible and short services every weeknight and Shabbat and additionally Sim Shalom provides online education programs, Jazz concerts, and conversion and life cycle ceremonies. Rabbi Blane is also the founder and director of the Spiritual Leader’s Institute, http://www.jsli.net, the online professional rabbinical program.
Sim Shalom and Rabbi Blane are one of the Founding communities of the Union of Jewish Universalist communities. For more information visit http://www.ujuc.org or call 201-338-0165.