Accolades

“It is impossible to capture all that Sandy has meant to Indianapolis. She bridged what sometimes is a divide between the arts and religion in the city. Not only is she a talented and accomplished writer who has many personal relationships with writers and artists in Indianapolis and elsewhere, but she has given freely of her time and creativity to major initiatives to bring arts, humanities and religion into closer connection with each other. … But even more important is the way she has lived. She is a gifted speaker and storyteller, but she always reveals her most important lessons buy the way she consistently models civility, respect for others, reflection about the larger meaning of our lives together, commitment to diversity in all forms, and a passion for excellence in everything she does. She is a true exemplar of what it means to live in and for community.” –David J. Bodenhammer, executive director and professor of the Polis Center at IUPUI

“I felt she taught me how to grieve and how to become a more compassionate, reliable, gently and strong person. She helped me grow as a person in so many ways.” — Dr. Ora Pescowitz

“You have allied you imagination and creativity together with you scholarship and great humanity that has set you apart as a unique rabbinic vice of our generation. You have truly painted a world of blessing with all the beautiful hues of God’s paintbrush. As scholar-in-residence at my synagogue I have seen you weave your magic, leaving those you have touched enriched and blessed buy your teaching and your presence.” — Rabbi Ron Aigen, Congregation Dorshei Emet, Montreal

“…as the publisher of almost all of her books for children for the pat two decades, know how she has widely affected the spiritual lives of children across the Jewish (and Christian) worlds in North America and other parts of the world. And the effect is huge and lasting. For this alone she is known as a great leader among the Jewish people.” — Stuart Matlins, Editor in Chief and publisher, Jewish Lights

“With her strong, steady, dignified leadership, she helped share our daughters’ visions of what they could attain. Our daughters found the courage… to speak up for what they believe, to become leaders in business and the arts, to do their own trailblazing. She has named our babies, married our children and buried our loved ones. Somehow, she has managed to find the right words to comfort us as we’ve wept.” — Nancy Bate, congregant

“For nearly the past two decades, my family has been living in Indianapolis and we have had a woman rabbi. I’m sure my kids don’t think very much about it. …she is important to them because she is a good rabbi. She’s the one who tells stories that they remember, the one who wrote all those books. …she’s the one who writes that we should laugh until we are all laughter, sing until we are all sung… The best part of Rabbi Sandy is not how many chromosomes she has, but how good she has been at being a rabbi. … Rabbi Sandy helped build the bridge between women and the rabbinate and she will always be remembered for that by people who study history. But for all us privileged enough to live in Indianapolis and belong to Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, including our children, she will be remembered for being a great rabbi.” — Amanda Siegel, congregant