Our Assistant Rabbi
Rabbi Bender joined Judea Reform Congregation's Clergy Team as Assistant Rabbi in July, 2024.
Rabbi Hannah Bender was ordained by the Los Angeles campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Spring 2024. During their time as a student they served multiple communities including the Reform congregations of Lake Tahoe, the Hillel at the Claremont Colleges, and Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles. They also taught Torah to adults online through the Torah Studio and were a facilitator for the Los Angeles Moving Traditions Tzelem group, working with trans and non-binary Jewish teens around LA.
A Midwesterner at heart, Rabbi Bender grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and the Western suburbs of Chicago. They received a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and moved to Jerusalem after college where they worked in a variety of justice spaces and did a year of study at the Conservative Yeshiva.
Rabbi Bender is passionate about helping folks find the ways that Judaism can add meaning to their lives, building relationships across lines of difference, and working in community around social justice. They love yoga, crafting, and sitting under trees.
For a selection of Rabbi Bender's teaching, thoughts on current events, and High Holy Days messages click below.
