Tamar Elad-Appelbaum (Hebrew: תמר אלעד–אפלבום; born 1974 or 1975), also known simply as Rabbi Tamar[1] and Rabba Tamar,[2] is an Israeli Masorti rabbi.
Elad-Appelbaum was born[5] and raised in Jerusalem[6] in a religious ZionistOrthodox family "that at times verged on Charedi".[1][4] From a young age, she pushed to learn Torah and Talmud, something not traditional for her faith community.[1][4] At age 14, her parents sent her to Pelech, a high school where girls were allowed to study Talmud, despite some pushback from extended family.[4]
After graduating from high school, Elad-Appelbaum served in the Israeli army. As part of her service, she was sent to the American state of New Jersey, where she was exposed to Reform and Conservative Jews for the first time.[4]
Elad-Appelbaum became assistant dean at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in 2010.[8] In 2011, she resigned from the position. According to The Jerusalem Post, her decision was rooted in the seminary's refusal to ordain LGBTQ students.[9]
In 2013, she founded the Kehillat Zion community in Baka, Jerusalem.[6][2] The community calls itself "egalitarian, traditional and experimental," and uses a unique liturgy which combines aspects from multiple Jewish traditions.[4][2] It comprised about 150 families in 2019.[4]
She has also co-founded Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, a non-denominational rabbinic seminary connected to the HaMidrasha Educational Center for Israeli Judaism and the Shalom Hartman Institute.[4][11]
In 2019, Elad-Appelbaum helped to translate a liturgical poem, titled Eileh Ezkerah for Pittsburg, honoring the victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting into Hebrew.[12]
In 2016, Elad-Appelbaum helped organize "Amen—A House of Prayer for All Believers", a project that created a shared prayer space in Jerusalem for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.[16]