Rabbinic Intern Deborah Bell
Deborah Bell is a fifth-year Rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College (HUC). Her love of Torah, Jewish tradition and the Jewish people are at the heart of her decision to become a Rabbi. Deborah seeks to build, cultivate and support vibrant Jewish organizations and communities that celebrate and perpetuate the life-affirming beauty and hope of Judaism.
Deborah loves her studies at HUC. In addition to her course work, Deborah has taken on several additional roles. During her year in Israel, as a member of Va’ad Tzedakah, she organized benefits for the Jerusalem African Community Center and HIAS. She also worked with the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) to produce outreach and educational materials. As a teaching fellow, she designed curricula for and taught K – 12 grade students and adults. As the Rabbinic Intern for the CCAR Press, she wrote two study guides for Press publications as well as Shabbat and Holidays content for CCAR’s social media sites. This past academic year, Deborah completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education through her work in a long-term care facility.
Deborah entered Rabbinical school after a career in academia. With a background in both cognitive and social psychology, Deborah’s work spanned research on the individual, groups, organizations, and the interactions between all three. She has conducted studies, consulted and published in several areas including cognition, organizational leadership, corporate governance, and talent management. In addition to her academic work, Deborah also supported several community not-for-profit organizations on a voluntary basis including as a Board member and advisor. Deborah intends to incorporate her experience in both the academic and not-for-profit spheres into her Rabbinate.
Deborah earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and an MBA from Simmons College (now Simmons University), a women-only program with a curriculum focused on women and leadership. Deborah entered HUC in the Summer of 2021 and spent her first year studying in Israel. After Israel, she spent the summer of 2022 traveling in Central and Eastern Europe and focused on visiting and learning about Jewish communities in these regions. A native of Massachusetts, Deborah currently studies and lives in New York City.