Rabbi Hannah Orden

Rabbi Hannah Orden is the spiritual leader of Temple B’Nai Israel in Laconia, New Hampshire.  Rabbi Orden received rabbinic ordination and a Master of Jewish Studies Degree from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College on June 6, 2010.  She brings to her role as rabbi a lifetime of experience as a teacher, writer, actor, director, wife, mother, community activist, peer counselor, and passionate believer in the possibility of change.

Growing up in an assimilated Jewish home in the 1950s and 60s, I felt the loss of connection to the culture, language, religion, and traditions of my immigrant grandparents.  My parents were modern, forward-looking intellectuals who had no use for a past filled with pogroms, poverty, and particularism.  Yet, I always felt intuitively that something essential to my being was missing.

I have been on a lifelong journey to reconnect with Judaism and discover what still matters in our traditions.  I love sharing that journey with others and accompanying them on their own journeys to make Judaism a meaningful part of their lives.  I cannot give anyone a map because I don’t know exactly where each person will end up, but I can point out different paths they may want to explore.

I believe we are all searching for meaning and connection, and this is my passion – to build communities where people can make connections with each other, with themselves, with Torah, and with the divine spark in each of us and in the world.