Rabbi Sari Laufer

Rabbi Sari Laufer

Rabbi Sari Laufer (she/her) is the Chief Engagement Officer at Stephen Wise Temple and Schools in Los Angeles. Ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Los Angeles in 2006, Rabbi Laufer is a teacher of the young and young-at-heart, bringing her passion for rabbinic texts and Judaism’s wisdom and relevance into the lives of those with whom she is privileged to learn and share.

A silver tiara sitting on a white tablecloth
Purim

Royal Fashion: Esther Edition

Rabbi Sari Laufer
Clothes may not make the woman, but there is no doubt that there are times when the clothes we wear make a difference. Clothes can help define us; think of a doctor donning their long white coat for the first time. Clothes can also help others identify us; a firefighter or an EMT arriving in uniform tells me that help has arrived. Sometimes, the clothes we wear help us imagine a different future for ourselves. Organizations that provide people with affordable business attire for interviews, such as Bottomless Closet or Dress for Success, have long understood that first impressions matter.
image of a menorah with all 9 candles lit and presents through a window
Hanukkah

Sharing the Miracle of Jewish Joy

Rabbi Sari Laufer
Conversations about Hanukkah are few and far between in our ancient texts; most of what the Talmud records about Hanukkah is within a few pages in the tractate called Shabbat. But, as is so often the case, those millennia-old words have grown in significance as we prepare for Hanukkah.
yoga and balance
Yom Kippur

How Yoga's Wisdom Can Help Us Prepare for Elul

Rabbi Sari Laufer
I often hear my yoga teachers' words when I embark on a new project or endeavor. Today, as we get ready to usher in the month of Elul, the preparatory month for the High Holidays, I keep thinking to myself: What is my intention?

Stories We Tell: A Blank Letter

Rabbi Sari Laufer
Is there someone in your life with whom you can share a thousand words without saying anything at all? Has there been a time, maybe in recent weeks, when all you needed was someone to just “be there” for you, or when someone needed you to just “be there” for them? This week, we hear a story from Rabbi Sari Laufer, director of congregational engagement at Stephen Wise Temple (Los Angeles, CA) about two friends separated by distance but closely connected in ways only they can understand.