Expanding the Jewish Beat This queer Black rabbi plays by her own tunes
JORDAN CASSWAY (TOP); COURTESY OF SANDRA LAWSON
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By Hilary Danailova
or sandra lawson, one of the hardest things about becoming a rabbi was learning Hebrew in her 40s. At the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she was ordained in 2018, Lawson struggled with the new language until one day, she picked up a guitar and put the alephs and bets to music. “And that’s how I learned Hebrew,” Lawson said with a chuckle. It’s just one example of how Lawson, 51, does Judaism her own way. In the process, she has become an increasingly visible and influential advocate and spokesperson for American Jews of Color. Earlier this year, Lawson, who grew up in a
Black, nominally Christian family, became the first director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism, the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement. When we chatted virtually in May, Lawson sang the prayer Or Hadash, or New Light, to the tune of “This Little Light of Mine,” an African-American spiritual. As she strummed in her home office, surrounded by more guitars and a collection of cowboy hats, a dog leaped into her lap—one of three Lawson shares with her wife, Susan Hurrey, a court reporter whom she married in 2015. “I’m gonna let it shine,” Lawson sang, mixing
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the English lyrics with the Hebrew liturgy. Traditional Ashkenazi Jewish musical idioms, like klezmer, Lawson explained, “are not in my DNA. Rock, country, blues—that’s what resonates with me.” Lawson’s own style clearly resonates with her legions of online followers on TikTok (30,000-plus) and other social media platforms. A self-taught musician, she accompanies her own singing on guitar or banjo and often posts the results. Whether humming a prayer or speaking directly to the camera, Lawson might wear a T-shirt that reads “This is what Jewish looks like,” accessorized by a kippah and, in a nod to her queer identity, a rainbow tallit.
I 20 I hadassahmagazine.org
