Rabbi Dara Lithwick

Rabbi Dara Lithwick (she/her) is passionate about building bridges between people and communities and promoting inclusion as a fundamental Jewish practice. She is an advocate for LGBTQ2+ inclusion within diverse Jewish spaces, as well as for Jewish inclusion in LGBTQ2+ spaces, and was a Union for Reform Judaism JewV’Nation fellow in its LGBTQIA+ leadership cohort. When not at work as a constitutional and parliamentary affairs lawyer, Rabbi Lithwick serves as outreach rabbi at Temple Israel Ottawa, and has been leading Shabbat and High Holiday services for Congregation Shir Libeynu in Toronto, the longest standing LGBTQ-inclusive shul in the city. Rabbi Dara is also chairing a Canadian Council for Reform Judaism group to develop a tikkun olam strategy for Canada and is the Canadian representative to the URJ’s Commission on Social Action. Rabbi Dara and her partner love chasing their two children around Ottawa.

Using Our “God-Sparks” to Reconcile Our Relationships

D'Var Torah By: C.E. Harrison

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Dara Lithwick

December 17, 2020
The book of B’reishit is, in essence, one big, messy story about family. While the relationships discussed in this book are imperfect, they matter because people matter. Imperfect as these families are, they’re still sacred because God exists as the connection between them.

Wholly Jewish: Dara: From Parliament to the Bimah

Rabbi Dara Lithwick
Shira Kline
Hosted by Jewish performance and ritual artist Shira Kline (she/her), a.k.a. ShirLaLa, this season features interviews with LGBTQIA+ Jews from the Union for Reform Judaism's JewV'Nation Fellowship. Follow along as they share their experiences in Jewish spaces, how their queerness and their Judaism intersect, and their visions of a more...

What’s So Jewish About Voting?

Rabbi Dara Lithwick
Judaism teaches us that voting is not just a civic duty. In fact, throughout Jewish history, many of our rabbis and sages have framed voting as a mitzvah, a Jewish imperative. Our tradition views us as working in partnership with God to create a better world – as we pray...