Save money
every time
someone at
your company
picks up the
phone.
Sometimes that means picking up the
Yeshiva University in Los Angeles,
slack at home so that the rabbi can do
then the Lubavitch seminary in Safed,
his job."
Israel.
And sometimes it means speaking
Having reached a high level of
to community groups or advising,
financial and career success in Los
with her husband, engaged couples on
Angeles, she still felt spiritually lack-
marriage or learning Torah with
ing. So she took a leave of absence
young women.
and enrolled in Ehayt, Aish
"I do whatever comes up, [such as]
HaTorah's women's yeshiva in
Jerusalem. She ended
up staying in
Jerusalem to study
and work as a thera-
pist specializing in
domestic violence,
child abuse, pornogra-
phy and the HIV
community. Rabbi
Zelig Pliskin finally
introduced her to her
husband last
November.
When she heard he
was divorced with
seven children, she
wasn't keen on meet-
ing him. On their first
date, "we couldn't
• stand each other." But
they gave each other a
second chance, dated
Yael Weil with Rachele and Benjy: Its all 'bout teamwork.
for three months, then
married.
make phone calls to see how people
Is she a rebbetzin? Definitely —
are doing. I don't see it as an obliga-
but not because she married a rabbi.
tion. I feel as much involved as he
"I've had years of training. I also
does, which is my choice."
have the life I had before to answer
Mrs. Weil grew up in Memphis
■ -• questions for Detroit's large ba'ale
and studied at Stern College and Bank
teshuvah [returnees to Judaism] com-
Street College in New York. A former
munity.
teacher, she now works full-time as an
"I don't think it's something you
at-home mother.
become overnight because you marry a
The Weils met on a Shabbaton,
rabbi," Tolwin says. "It's a process." ❑
where they were both advisers for the
is always been a life of team-
upstate region of National Council of
work for Yael and Steven Weil.
Synagogue Youth. They married nine
"When I married my hus-
years ago and have five children
band, he was getting his MBA,"
between the ages of 6 1/2 months and
says the 29-year-old rebbetzin of
7 years.
Young Israel-Oak Park. So she didn't
She sees the role of rebbetzin as
think she was marrying into the pub-
private and public. "The role of any
lic life of a rabbi.
wife is to be a support to her hus-
"The jobs we always had were
band, encourage what he's doing,
teamwork jobs," like when they were
understand, be a sounding board," she
hired together to be youth directors at
says.
a shul in Livingston, N.J..
But in the public eye, a rebbetzin
"Technically, we're still working
should be involved in the congrega-
together. I don't answer halachic ques-
tion as much'as she can, she adds.
tions [but] I will refer them [to anoth-
Sometimes, congregants hold the
er rabbi] if they're not comfortable
children of a rabbi to a higher stan-
talking to him."
dard, Weil says. "Mine are not old
"When people first started calling
enough yet. They shouldn't be held to
me, that was strange," she says. But
a higher standard — because they're
now, Weil sees herself as a rebbetzin.
Jews, because they're people, because
"It means sharing in my husband's
it's right, but not because they're
work, so yes, I am a rebbetzin.
rabbi's children." ❑
I
•
•
Photo by Krista Husi
•
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