Ilene Schneider

RABBI AND AUTHOR

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NAME
Rabbi Ilene Schneider, Ed.D. hasn't decided yet what (or who) she wants to be when she grows up. (She lives by the t-shirt logo: "I may grow older, but I'll never grow up.") In her current incarnation, she is Coordinator of Jewish Hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton, NJ, near Philadelphia. (She was one of the first 6 women ordained as a rabbi in the US, back in 1976.) Interested in nature and conservation, she also is active in the New Jersey Audubon Society at the Rancocas Nature Center.
In addition to ordination, she has earned a few degrees over the years, all in different disciplines and none worth much in the market place. (BA in Publication from Simmons; M.Ed. in Psychoeducational Processes from Temple; Ed.D. in Foundations of Ed. from Temple; honorary D.D. from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College for surviving 25 years in the rabbinate). She also began piano lessons for the first time in her life when she was in her 50's -- a total disaster (especially for the teacher), but fun.
 
In her spare time (which she finds by never cleaning the house), she's a birder and gardener, although her garden's almost as much of a mess as her house. (She believes in benign neglect: she plants it; if it comes up, great; if it doesn't, she tries something else. She lets nature do the watering, which is why everything in the flower boxes is dead, and refers to the weeds as "wild flowers and decorative grasses.") When the weather's nice enough to garden, she's more apt to be birding.
She's been married for over 30 years, and has two teen-aged boys, making her part of the trendy group of "older" parents.

Mysteries by Author:

Other Books by Author:

  • Talk Dirty Yiddish (11/08)

For lots more information, please visit Ilene Schneider at www.rabbiavivacohenmysteries.com.