Congregation Or Shalom’s incoming Rabbi Lindsey Healy-Pollack and Rabbi Emeritus Alvin Wainhaus, who served the congregation for 44 years, examining the congregation’s Holocaust Memorial Torah scroll. The scroll, which is approximately 225 years old, was rescued from Czechoslovakia after World War II. Photo by Steve Cooper.
Congregation Or Shalom in Orange has announced the appointment of Rabbi Lindsey Healey-Pollack as its new rabbi. She assumed the pulpit on Aug. 1, replacing longtime rabbi Alvin Wainhaus.
“Jewish community and tradition should be accessible to all. With curiosity and creativity, I hope to help everyone to discover their unique personal connection to Judaism, regardless of their background or abilities,” Healy-Pollack said.
“Our congregation appreciates Rabbi Lindsey’s warmth, intelligence and her capacity to connect with individuals across various ages and backgrounds, as well as her strong commitment to Judaism and Torah,” said Bob Spaulding, president of Congregation Or Shalom. “Additionally, Rabbi Lindsey upholds our tradition of fostering a welcoming, diverse, innovative, and dynamic conservative community in Orange and the surrounding areas.”
Healey-Pollack previously served as rabbi of Congregation Kol HaNeshamah in Englewood, New Jersey. She also was an educator and program coordinator for the introduction to Judaism program at Town and Village Synagogue in New York, where she taught and guided students through the process of joining the Jewish people.
Healey-Pollack was ordained in 2018 at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also earned a master of arts degree in Talmud and rabbinic literature. She grew up in Houston, Texas and spent five years of her childhood living in Cairo. Healy-Pollack developed her passion for Jewish living and learning as an undergraduate at Scripps College in Claremont, California, where she studied anthropology and philosophy. After college, she moved to New York and earned a masters in museum studies from New York University.
Healey-Pollack includes meditation as part of her spiritual practice and can often be found outdoors, seeking inspiration and connection in nature. In her free time, she says she enjoys writing poetry, dabbling in a variety of arts and crafts, “nerding out” about history or whatever topic sparks her interest and practicing yoga.