אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִו יָבֹא עֶזְרִי
I turn my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come?
Psalm 121
Welcome to the website of
Rabbi Karen Fanwick
As an ordained Rabbi, I want to work with individuals as well as small congregations to help bring Judaism to a meaningful place in the lives of those who seek my services. As a convert to Judaism over 30 years ago, I recognize the importance discovering as much about the religion as possible. Every aspect of Judaism is important to me, including life cycle events and worship. I will work to make these events memorable for all those involved.
Questions? Please see my contact page and let's talk!
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. M. Ghandi
About Me
My journey began with my conversion to Judaism nearly 30 years ago. After completing the conversion process in the Reform Movement, I jumped into learning everything about Judaism that I could and, in particular, Jewish music and liturgy. I became a cantorial soloist for my congregation and shared my skills with other congregations for Shabbat and High Holy Days. I taught music in our religious school for many years.
As an adult, I had to work hard to learn Hebrew. I now teach Hebrew to all ages and am passionate about teaching other adults. I wrote two workbooks for teaching adults and use them in my courses. I have worked with several special needs children as well.
Nine years ago, an opportunity presented itself for me to take my years of teaching and leading worship to a higher level-that of becoming an ordained Rabbi. I studied with a wonderful cohort of individuals from all over the world at JSLI--the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute--and was ordained in 2014. Although I am considered a post-denomination rabbi, most of my work has been in the Reform Movement. This is where i am most comfortable.
When the pandemic struck all of us in 2020, the rabbi at Temple Israel, the congregation I belong to, abruptly stepped down. I stepped in to take us through the pandemic, and led the congregation through all of the obstacles that COVID presented, including being sick myself! We weathered the storm and this year, 2022, I retired, making way for the new rabbi to step in, and opening the door for other opportunites.
As passionate as I am about Judaism, I am nearly as passionate about making quilts! This year, and in years past, I made each of my "B" mitzvah students a quilt as a gift of completion. This remains my passion as well as teaching Hebrew at my Temple.
My husband and I live on a hobby farm in rural West Lafayette, IN, where we raised our three now adult children. We have 1 dog, 2 cats, and 1 old horse. I hope to continue to learn and to share my knowledge with others who seek guidance as they make their own ways through life.
Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
BS in Medical Technology 1988
Credentials
S'micha granted Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI) New York, New York, USA, 4 Shevat 5774 (January 4, 2014)
Positions
Cantorial Soloist, Temple Israel, West Lafayette, IN 1996-2014
High Holy Day Soloist 2000, 2001
Bar/Bat Mitzvah soloist 1996-2014
High Holy Day Spiritual Leader, Mattoon, IL 2012-2014
High Holy Day Soloist, B’nai Israel, Kokomo, IN 2002-2004
High Holy Day soloist, Temple B’nai Abraham, Decatur, IL 1999
Music Director, Lafayette Jewish Community Religious School 1996-2006
Level 1,Level 2 and 3 Hebrew teacher
Adult beginning Hebrew teacher (Biblical and Prayerbook Hebrew)
Bar/Bat mitzvah training
Part-time Rabbi Temple B’nai Israel, Kokomo, IN 2019
Rabbi in residence, Temple Israel, West Lafayette, IN 2020-2022
Additional Activities
Hava Nashira, Olin-Sang-Ruby, Oconomowoc, WI 1996
URJ Biennial Dallas Texas, 1997
Biennial Choir
Small Congregation Meeting, Chicago, IL 1998
Choir member
North American Jewish Choral Festival, 2003, 2005
Mifgash Musicale, Cincinnati, OH
Shabbat study 2000
HHD Study 2001
Conversion/Journey of Discovery
Over the years, I have spoken with many individuals, often part of the LBGTQ+ community, who feel they do not fit anywhere. Many religions have turned their backs on these wonderful individuals even though we are created "b'tzelem Elohim", in the image of God. Still others find that the spiritual path they had been on no longer resonates with them. Others have found an absence of a spiritual path.
When I looked back at my own process of discovering Judaism, I found elements missing in my studies. In my program of discovery, I have incorporated general knowledge as well as thought provoking questions, aimed at challenging the individual to discover themself spiritually.
My course, which takes at least a year to complete, involves completion of 10 modules of study encompassing various aspects of Jewish life, including Major holidays, Shabbat, Life Cycle, Our Texts, and so on. Module 11 is your time to study something in Judaism you are interested in learning more about.
Once all requirements are met, I shall convene a Beit Din, a Jewish court, that will ask you questions and bestow your Hebrew name upon you.
Note: I do not require circumcision or hatafat dam brit for anatomic males. I leave that to the discretion of the person. I strongly encourage visiting the mikveh following the Beit Din. Once again, this will be left to the individual. All of these matters will be discussed during our first meeting.
If you are interested in discussing conversion to Judaism, please use the contact form to get in touch with me!
Testimonials
When I was beginning my journey to becoming Jewish, I was somewhat nervous that it would be intimidating. But Rabbi Karen was so friendly and approachable, and I was immediately put at ease. She had a comprehensive curriculum that was easy to complete at my own pace and she was readily available to meet and discuss topics that I had extra questions about. I felt very comfortable sharing my thoughts with her and I appreciated her openness to students' different points of view, interpretations, or ways of engaging with Jewish traditions and texts. I felt welcomed and supported throughout my entire conversion process. I truly feel like Rabbi Karen was meant to be "my" rabbi to walk with me through my journey, which has been one of the most beautiful and meaningful parts of my life. Mallory D-D
Weddings
I have performed weddings for many couples including LBGTQ+, interfaith and secular. Of course, Jewish weddings are wonderful for me to do as well! My favorite weddings are those where one person in the couple is Jewish and the other person is on a different faith path. We put in elements of traditional Jewish weddings and add in elements that are meaningful to the non-Jewish partner. The ceremony becomes a wonderful celebration for the wedding couple as well as the blended families.
As your wedding officiant, I will meet with you as often as you wish to ensure the day is exactly the day you dream of.
If you have a wedding in the planning stage, please contact me to officiate your ceremony.
Working with Karen was the easiest and most enjoyable part of our wedding planning process. She was very accommodating of our interfaith family, and explained all parts of the ceremony thoroughly and helped us make decisions about what portions of the service meant the most to us. She made the ketubah selection and signing process so simple, and even worked with the company to make sure our ketubah was exactly what we wanted. As a result of all of this, the rehearsal and ceremony itself was a breeze- and was exactly what we envisioned. We will always be grateful to Karen for making our wedding such a meaningful and enjoyable event!! Mark and Teresa B. 2022
Karen married my husband and I in June of this year and she was absolutely wonderful to work with! Karen met with us two times prior to the wedding. We talked through what we were looking for in a ceremony and Karen presented an outline that was absolutely perfect. She was very flexible with customizing the ceremony to fit our needs. Karen took the time to get to know my husband, as I have known Karen for years. The day of the ceremony, she made everything stress-free and easy. The marriage ceremony was exactly what I was looking for and couldn’t have been more perfect. After the wedding day, Karen sent us a personalized mason jar with the shards of the glass we had stepped on during the ceremony. On top of all this, Karen is kind, friendly, funny and an absolute delight to work with! I recommend Karen without a doubt. Ellen and Dan M. 2022
Officiant for a gay wedding.
Hebrew Education/B Mitzvah
As an adult learning a language, I realized the challenges of trying to read and understand a language that does not use an alphabet readily recognized by English speaking individuals. I had to work very hard to read Hebrew, especially reading from the Torah. As part of my on-going attempts to facilitate ease of learning, I created two workbooks for use by adults who struggle to learn Hebrew. I can teach you, too! Contact me for information.
Over the years I have taught many people, young and older, the language of the Jewish people-Hebrew. I have worked with classes of children from beginners to B Mitzvah age. I have also worked with some children that have special challenges in learning. I have been immensely proud of ALL of my students-those with challenges and those without-as they were called to the Torah for the first time.
Rabbi Karen was the ideal influence for our kids’ Hebrew education. Not only did she teach our
kids the language, but she also inspired them and instilled great values. Her command of
Hebrew along with her ability to connect with the students is remarkable, and that is what
created such an ideal learning environment. K and C Elias 2022
Not a member of a congregation? Not a problem! I did a "destination" Bar Mitzvah this summer, and it was fantastic. I worked with the young man in person and zoom for his Hebrew. We can work to make your child's (or YOUR) B mitzvah special at a destination of your choice. Let me work with you to make this a memorable occasion for the entire mishpachah. Please contact me for more information!
Services-Small Congregations
With the upcoming closure of the Cincinnati campus for the education of Reform Rabbis, many small Reform congregations will be without spiritual leadership for Shabbat, High Holy Days, holidays, and life-cycle events. My area of specialty is working with small Reform congregations to enhance their worship experiences and I am available to meet the needs of your congregation.
Videos
High Holy Days-Healing service and Yizkor 2022
