Trifecta of Minority Helps the Majority
Rabbi Sandra has been an influential community leader at Elon, especially for students who identify as Jewish, Black, and/or part of the LQBTQIA community. She will be missed as she moves on to a new career path.
Jewish Life at Elon is sad to announce Rabbi Sandra’s departure from Elon University, but is proud to announce that she will be serving as the new director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism.
The impact that Rabbi Sandra has had on students across Elon’s campus must be celebrated. If you are not familiar with Sandra Lawson, we highly recommend reading about her Jewish journey on her website.
Her impact is especially important because as we know, diversity on Elon’s campus is limited. Rabbi Sandra Lawson, the former Chaplain for Jewish Life at Elon, made three minority groups on campus feel important.
Rabbi Sandra writes, “I had several separate isolated identities. I was gay over here, and Jewish over here and black over here … after that sermon, I made a conscious decision to unite all of my identities ... I felt that I could use my identities as a bridge-builder.”
Rabbi Sandra truly touched all three minority groups during her two or so years at the University.
So why is Sandra a Rabbi? Can a black woman be a Rabbi? These are the questions people pose as they look at Rabbi Sandra. She captures the essence of what it means to be a Rabbi no matter what color her skin is or who she chooses to love. Lawson's goal is to use her identities in the Jewish community to be a leader.
“She has been very accepting and supportive through transitions I have gone through in my life,” says Elon senior Amanda Palin who expressed remorse as she feels that Rabbi Sandra leaving is a huge loss to Elon. Palin shares that she received a call from Rabbi Sandra when she decided to leave Elon. Palin emphasizes that the close relationships she forged were Rabbi Sandra’s greatest impacts.
Anna Ditesheim, intern from Spirit and Pride, has a very close relationship with Rabbi Sandra. Spirit and Pride is a collaboration of the Truitt Center and the Gender and LGBTQIA Center at Elon. Ditesheim works to create an open space to talk about the intersection of religion and the LGBTQIA community. She explains that her relationship with Rabbi Sandra formed through their similar identities: being Jewish and gay.
Ditesheim grew up in the south, in a conservative part of Charlotte, North Carolina. She grew up having to celebrate the high holidays in Winston-Salem at a reformed synagogue, because she describes her hometown as “having a homogenous population of white rich jews.” Although Charlotte has a large Jewish population, this was not the diverse experience Ditesheim was seeking. “Coming to Elon really showed me the liberal side of Judaism,” she says.
Ditesheim was inspired by Rabbi Sandra as she exposed her to insight into the reconstructionist movement of Judaism. This approach to Judaism is to make congregations inclusive and encourage people to be their best selves. Ditesheim says, “I had never met someone with that much diversity, she had lived experiences that I will never understand.”
Rabbi Sandra Lawson pictured with Hillel member Emma Gellman.
Rabbi Sandra is not only a religious leader that supports Ditesheim, but she also instilled a greater feeling of inclusivity. What clicked for Ditesheim was that Rabbi Sandra helped her see that religion preaches love, and to have a Rabbi that could relate to her on an intersectional level. Ditesheim and a friend now have a podcast called “Queer and Divine” so that students can have a place to share their stories. Rabbi Sandra shares her own coming-out story in their fifth episode, “A Conversation with Rabbi Sandra Lawson.”
Rabbi Sandra’s goal is to show people that people can be Jewish in many ways! You can see Rabbi Sandra in action on her TikTok channel where she shares short engaging content that makes you feel like you’re part of her world.
Rabbi Sandra will be missed by the Elon community and The Edge wishes her the best in her future pursuits.
Photos Courtesy of Elon Hillel.