The word for love in Hebrew is ahavah, which fits perfectly as a part of Rabbi Judi Ahavah Del Bourgo’s name, as she radiates a positive energy that is hard to describe but easy to feel. Del Bourgo is the new rabbi at Har Zion Congregation of Scottsdale. My first encounter with her was at Shabbat services on a Friday night, where she warmly embraced her new community.
Her spiritual journey to becoming a rabbi was not typical. After her bat mitzvah, her Jewish identity was essentially dormant for the next two decades. But after a series of life-changing events, Del Bourgo started soul-searching and once again found Judaism.
Prior to her becoming a rabbi, Del Bourgo was a fourth-grade teacher and passionate about her work. “I absolutely loved teaching and did it for six years,” she explains. “It was all about cooperative learning and community building.” She especially enjoyed helping kids understand abstract math concepts, as she felt the skills involved were useful beyond math and were confidence-boosters. When she was assigned to teach kindergarten, her life began to change.
“A close friend became ill and began the dying process. Needless to say, I had a lot of unanswered questions and started looking for answers. I began a spiritual quest and became a hospice volunteer. After 20 years of staying away, and after Sept. 11, I found my way to a wonderful synagogue with people my age, soulful prayers and music, meaningful teachings that satisfied some of my existential questions.”
Her spiritual journey was moved along by a rabbi who showed her the riches and beauty of Judaism that are often overlooked. Enchanted with learning and the spirituality of Judaism, Del Bourgo spent a year studying biblical Hebrew at Drisha Modern Orthodox Yeshiva for women in New York. She was then accepted to the Ziegler Rabbinical program in California.
Del Bourgo is able to draw on her past experiences to encourage people to find Judaism useful in their everyday lives. “I know that anything people do they need buy-in and for things to stick they need to be invested and things need to be relevant. I strive to make Torah’s teachings and Halachah meaningful for people.”
Del Bourgo was captivating as she spoke one Shabbat. She is able to engage people of all ages, and that night she told a story of a famous man who had been distanced from his Jewish roots, and through a meaningful experience in Jerusalem, found them again.
She is one of those people who, the more time you spend with her, the more you like her. She connects with people in the same way she wishes to inspire a congregation to be passionate about their Judaism. As she explains it, “Being a Jew is a way for me to connect to God’s holiness and help me be part of our miraculous world. Torah’s wisdom can apply to our everyday lives. We have everything: blessings to mark moments throughout the day; awareness of the needs of others through gemilut chasidim (deeds of loving kindness); and tikkun olam, (repairing the world) ways to express joy, as well as ways to be comforted and find hope during times of pain.”
Del Bourgo’s plans for the future include creative and fun activities such as “Torah meets Yoga.” She explains, “I have had a gentle yoga practice for the last 12 years — I have used a conglomerate of ‘Torah Yoga’ techniques from the pros in the field to build ‘Torah meets Yoga’ at Har Zion Congregation.”
Another new program, which is both educational and fun is the “Barking Lot Blessings.” This will take place on Sunday, Oct. 21, at the end of religious school, and Del Bourgo has invited the community to participate. “Religious school kids and the entire community are welcome to bring their pets (or photos) as we get ready to read Parshat Noah. We’ll discuss how animals are blessings to us, and share special blessing with them.”
From the pulpit to the parking lot, Rabbi Del Bourgo is leading Har Zion Congregation with many new programs, enriching stories, laughter and most appropriately, with love.
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Upcoming Events
at CONGREGATION Har Zion:
9 a.m. floor yoga and 10 a.m. chair yoga (both gentle), free, Sundays: Oct. 28 and Jan. 27.
“Barking Lot Blessings” on Oct. 21, Sunday, at the end of religious school. Religious school kids (and all community are welcome
to bring their pets (or photos) as we get ready to read Parshat Noah.
Masada Siegel lives in Scottsdale, and more information about her new novel, Window Dressings, can be found at masadasiegelauthor.com.
