Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz

Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz serves Agudas Achim Congregation in Coralville, IA. Originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she trained for the rabbinate in the United States and the United Kingdom and served as the associate rabbi in Leeds, England, prior to moving to America’s heartland. Passionate about making Judaism inclusive, spiritually compelling, and morally relevant in today’s world, she specializes in questions of conversion, ritual, social justice, and multiculturalism. She plays the guitar and composes Jewish liturgical and religious music. Rabbi Esther is married and the mother of two preschoolers. 

The author wearing a tallit and tefillin

My Relationship with My Tallit and Tefillin

Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz

Yes, I wear a prayer shawl and phylacteries when I pray but it has taken me years to get over judging myself as a woman wearing items “traditionally” worn only by men.