Kerry Leaf

Kerry Leaf is the director of North American Board Engagement and Philanthropy for the Union for Reform Judaism. She partners with exceptional lay leadership from congregations throughout the United States and Canada, facilitating their work with URJ staff, partners, and affiliates to strengthen congregations, promote communities of belonging, engage our youth, support a democratic and pluralistic Israel, and mobilize action for tikkun olam (repairing the world). Kerry also served as past president of five non-profit boards, but her most challenging and rewarding volunteer presidency was of her former synagogue. She is currently a member of Am Shalom and Congregation Hakafa, both located in Glencoe, IL.

 

an image of a pocket watch in front of a colorful background that looks like confetti

A Prayer for the New Year

Kerry Leaf
I have been questioned About my faith, About my beliefs, And about the audacity of my optimism Which hangs on precariously, Like the last leaf of autumn.
an image of a prayer book opened, two shofars and a tallit on a white wooden surface
High Holidays

Judgment Days

Kerry Leaf
Some label Rosh HaShanah and the period between the New Year and Yom Kippur as "Judgment Days," a time during which the trajectory of our lives for the coming year is reached.
Womans hands holding a mug
Jewish Values

What Does It Mean to Be a “Typical” Anything?

Kerry Leaf

What’s a “typical” New Yorker? A typical Israeli? A typical Baby Boomer? A typical millennial? A typical Jewish person? A typical immigrant? A typical member of any political party? A typical gender-related characteristic?