Congregation Ner Tamid welcomes back Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein to its staff as CNT’s Resident Rabbinic Scholar. She will focus her duties on issues related to social justice and adult education. “As some of you know, I began my Rabbinic career at CNT as its Rabbinic Intern for four years and was a Board Member before attending Rabbinical School. It is truly an honor to assist Rabbi Sanford Akselrad (my dear mentor who supported me when I decided to stop practicing law and attend Hebrew Union College) and one of the most talented Cantors I have ever known, Cantor Jessica Hutchings.”
Rabbi Olshein grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, receiving a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree (International Business) from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., followed by a Juris Doctorate degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California, at the age of 23.
Before becoming a Rabbi, she practiced law in Las Vegas, Nevada, for almost 11 years, during which she became the youngest person ever to rise to the role of statewide Chair of the State Bar of Nevada’s Continuing Legal Education Committee. During this time, while an active member of her home congregation, Congregation Ner Tamid, she created a young adult program for those 25-39; and served as a Vice President of the Board of Trustees. She also created a successful singles’ program in partnership with the Jewish Community Center.
During Rabbinical School at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles, Rabbi Olshein served as Student Rabbi of Congregation Havurim in Temecula, California, for two years. She was also Congregation Ner Tamid’s Rabbinic Intern for two academic years and four full-time summers, and completed an additional year-long Rabbinic Internship at the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. She received the Cantor William Sharlin Award for Excellence in Liturgy and, after completing her rabbinic thesis on the topic of “Synagogue Transformation and Change Issues” (with a focus on the use and effects of technology in worship), she was ordained as a Rabbi in May of 2008.
Upon ordination, Rabbi Olshein served as a Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas, where she shared all pulpit and life cycle responsibilities with the Senior Rabbi for four years. She then became the Rabbi of Temple Israel of West Palm Beach, Florida, where she was the first woman to lead an established congregation in Palm Beach County, as well as the first female President of the Palm Beach County Board of Rabbis. She was awarded the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s first Tikkun Olam/Community Service Award in 2016 and the 2019 Judy Waltzer Award for service to the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. Rabbi Olshein also served Temple Emanuel of Tempe, Arizona, as its first female Rabbi, before returning home to become Congregation Ner Tamid’s “Resident Rabbinic Scholar.”
Currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and a member of the National Campaign Leadership Team for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Rabbi Olshein was part of the inaugural cohort of the “Rukin Family 18Doors Rabbinic Fellowship,” focusing on helping unaffiliated interfaith/intercultural couples and families figure out their Jewish path.
Her professional passions include creating meaningful, creative worship opportunities, teaching adult education, bringing awareness to local and international social justice issues, creating interfaith opportunities for dialogue and worship, and facilitating workshops on spirituality in everyday life. Her own “Jewish journey” was featured in the URJ’s Reform Judaism magazine.
In her spare time, Rabbi Olshein enjoys crocheting handmade kippot (one of her kippot is currently on display in the Jewish Museum of Berlin), and planning meaningful Jewish travel (she has spent her vacation time as an official Chaplain for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and has preached and taught as a Visiting Rabbi and Scholar-in-Residence around the world).
Rabbi Olshein believes that we create the meaningful spiritual communities we seek to join through sharing our experiences and stories of change … she hopes that you will introduce yourself and share a part of your journey with her!
