After receiving a music degree from Brandeis, Rabbi Dina Shargel settled contentedly into a career as a music teacher. Then, as her "dreaded 40th birthday approached," she took on some new spiritual challenges, including a deeper commitment to Jewish ritual and immersion in Torah study. By 2006, she had earned an M. A. in Bible and rabbinic ordination from JTS, leading to a wonderful second career that included serving two major Conservative congregations. From 2020, she became a freelancer, officiating at life cycle events, teaching B’nai Mitzvah, and pandemic-era Zoom Adult Ed courses. Rabbi Shargel died in February 2025.
After receiving a music degree from Brandeis, Rabbi Dina Shargel settled contentedly into a career as a music teacher. Then, as her “dreaded 40th birthday approached,” she took on some new spiritual challenges, including a deeper commitment to Jewish ritual and immersion in Torah study. By 2006, she had earned an M. A. in Bible and rabbinic ordination from JTS, leading to a wonderful second career that included serving two major Conservative congregations. From 2020, she became a freelancer, officiating at life cycle events, teaching B’nai Mitzvah, and pandemic-era Zoom Adult Ed courses. Rabbi Shargel died in February 2025.
