Rhonda Rosenheck

Rhonda Rosenheck, MEd (JTS), is a published poet, humorist and bible translator. Her searing, witty and kind style invites you to search with her for clues to a more ideal world.

Info
Endorsements
Contact Speaker

About

Rhonda Rosenheck, MEd (JTS), is a published poet, humorist & bible translator. Her searing, witty, kind style invites refreshing reconsideration. Honest, courageous and often gleeful, Rosenheck seeks clues to a more ideal world. Rhonda's roots are Zionist, Hebraist, agriculturist, traditional, Reform, Conservative & Renewal. Her most recent book is The Five Books of Limericks (Ben Yehuda Press).

Programs

Jewish Anxiety: the Inferior/Superior, Safe/Imperiled, Successful/Failed Life of One American Jew

Witty, honest and philosophical reflections on the oddities and contradictions of contemporary American-Jewish life by a career Jewish educator, seminary-graduate, poet, and female descendant of early Zionists, Rabbis, Agriculturalists, Hebraists, distillers and anti-religionists.

Ben Sorer u'Moreh: What the Rabbis Understood -- and Didn't -- about the "Rebellious" Child

When seeking Rabbinic wisdom that turns Torah on its head, there's no richer source than The Rebellious Child. You'll discern their views on such still-debated issues as nature vs. nurture and effective parenting. You'll see their compassion, fatalism, optimism, and nuanced understanding of humanity. Then you'll discover something the Talmud never imagined! No Hebrew or Talmud study skills needed.

It Ain't Necessarily So: Translating Torah without Assumptions

In this talk, Rhonda Rosenheck will demonstrate with well-known biblical passages that a very close reading of the text can uncover fresh narratives and hints to partnering well with God in our age.

Wonder and Awe: Lingering with Problematic Torah Passages

The deepest work of Torah study begins with wondering, the application of one’s own imagination to the text. Yet, many of the ancient passages trouble every era’s contemporary readers and erode the immediacy of awe. Taking a Wondering Stance with several of Torah’s “problematic” passages, Rhonda Rosenheck will demonstrate how lingering in the “what if” can draw us closer to Torah.

Turn it and turn it: Torah through a Poet's Lens

Sharing her Torah-based poetry, Rhonda Rosenheck will reflect on the Bible’s robust value under all forms of scrutiny, the gift of the Jewish tradition of study through disagreement and her use of poetic forms to unleash divergent thinking and pull new insights from the ancient texts.

Genres

Endorsements

I recall a lesson you designed and demonstrated, using the text in the parasha, to teach sexual responsibility to teens. It was thrilling, fun and invigorating! Not to mention educational and thought provoking.
— Erica Goldman-Brodie, Attendeee, JTS Retreat, NYC

Book Review excerpt: A truly delightful collection of limericks. Rosenheck captures the essence of the textual bites, artfully distilling both narrative and legal sections of the Five Books. The limericks often feel light hearted, but upon closer examination, they ingeniously speak on two levels - including a deeper one. I found myself reading (the source texts) differently than I did before. ,
— Walter Herzberg, Assistant Professor Emeritus, Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, NY

"Most think of limericks as the landing zone for jokes, but Rosenheck has elevated this accessible form by writing Biblical limericks inspired by the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. I delighted in the whimsical, thought provoking poetry created in this unexpected format. Even without having studied the source writing, I was touched by the messages. What a brilliant creation!"
— Linda D. Addison, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, SFPA Grand Master, Book Review, Book Review

“Reading Rhonda Rosenheck is like having drinks with an eagle. People who think the particular is the contrary of the universal ought to read this book, and learn better. It’s personal and particular; its voice, specific. It’s acute as a raptor’s gaze … over a shot of wry on the rocks.
— Markham Shaw Pyle, Publisher and Author, Book Review, Book Review

Contact Rhonda

(Items marked with an * are required)

Your Name *

Your Email *

Confirm your Email *

Organization Type

Organization Name

City *

State (USA, CAN only)*

Country *

Budget

Subject *

Message *

Books

Yiddische Yoga

OYsanas for Every Generation

2016

Ben Yehuda Press

The Five Books of Limericks

A Chapter-by-chapter Retell...

2022

Jewish Poetry Project

Articles

Reinventing Rhonda Mid-life adventures of an energetic fatigued woman. 9 March, 2015:

A Religious Experience at the Attorney's Office

HAYIDION: THE RAVSAK JOURNAL 9 March, 2012:

Olami / Personal Essay: How to Survive Cancer at a Jewish Day School

Journal of Jewish Education 21 August, 2006:

A TALE OF TWO TEACHERS: Portraits of Jewish Educators

The Ultimate Jewish Teacher's Handbook 2 August, 2003:

Collaborative Curriculum Development

Modern Hebrew 12 June, 1996:

Review of “Handbook of Hebrew Verbs”

Interested in booking Rhonda Rosenheck to speak at your next event? Contact Jewish Speakers Bureau (infREMOVEo@jewREMOVEishspeakerREMOVEsbureau.com), America's only speakers bureau for Jewish-interest speakers, authors, entertainers, and experts.