Jewish Views on Reproductive Choice

Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein

Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota.  She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, an MA in Guidance and Counseling from Eastern Michigan

University, and an MSW from Catholic University.  Rabbi Bernstein was a clinical social worker for over twenty years in the Washington, DC area, both in clinics and in private practice. She was a lay leader at Temple Sinai in Washington, DC, and served as president of the congregation. Rabbi Bernstein was a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Council of the Union for Reform Judaism.

During rabbinical school Rabbi Bernstein served as student rabbi at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston.  Rabbi Bernstein’s rabbinical thesis is entitled: “Holocaust Responsa: Questions and Answers from a Time of Despair.”  She received her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2009.  Rabbi Bernstein served as a rabbi at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia from 2012-2022. 

Rabbi Bernstein was on the staff of the Union for Reform Judaism for nine years, as teacher and coordinator for the Introduction to Judaism program in the greater Washington, DC area. She was a Study Guide writer for “The Torah: A Women’s Commentary” and worked as a chaplain with Jewish Social Services. Rabbi Bernstein has served on the boards of directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Jews United for Justice, on the executive council of the Washington Board of Rabbis and was the Board Chair of Equality Maryland.

During her service on the Board of Equality Maryland and as the organization’s chair, Rabbi Bernstein worked with Board members and thousands of volunteers across Maryland to lobby for a law permitting same-sex marriage.  Although the law was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in February 2012, the law was challenged on referendum. Working with a coalition of partners—including then Governor Martin O’Malley— the leadership of Equality Maryland worked tirelessness to defeat the referendum.  On November 6, 2012, 52.4% of voters agreed that the challenge to the law should be overturned.  This was the first time marriage equality rights in the United States were extended to same-sex couples by popular vote.

For the last 30 years, Rabbi Bernstein has been an advocate for aviation security and accountability for those who commit terrorist acts against air travelers. She has testified before Congressional committees on aviation security and terrorism.  Her remarks to a Conference on US-Libyan Relations sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Atlantic Council, and the Middle East Institute (March 16, 2001), were read into the Congressional Record at the request of Sen. Edward Kennedy.   Rabbi Bernstein is the Vice President of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103.  In July 2021, Rabbi Bernstein was appointed by David Pekoske, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, to the TSA’s Aviation Security Advisory Committee.

Rabbi Bernstein lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband Henry Winokur.  She has two adult children, Sara Bernstein and Joseph Bernstein, and is the proud grandmother of Michael David Berry, Kian Leo Bernstein, and Adlai (Adi) Nima Bernstein.

Maharat Ruth Friedman

Maharat Friedman is a member of the inaugural class of Yeshivat Maharat, which is the first institution to ordain Orthodox women as spiritual leaders and halakhic (legal) authorities.  She and her husband Yoni moved to Washington, DC in July 2013 to begin her position as Maharat at Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue®.

Maharat Friedman’s responsibilities include overseeing the conversion program, supervising the operation of the community mikvah, directing adult education, providing pastoral counseling, teaching in the community, and more.

Maharat Friedman is deeply committed to working to ensure that Jewish communal structures provide sensitivity and support to individuals and couples struggling with fertility challenges, and she is honored to serve on The Red Stone Advisory Committee. 

She is a proud member of both the Chicago and Washington Boards of Rabbis, and sits on the Executive Committee of the board of the International Rabbinic Fellowship, of which she is also a member.  Maharat Ruth is also a founding member of the Beltway VAAD. She and Yoni are the proud parents of two boys, Ezra and Joe "Bear", and their rambunctious shiu tzu, Cocoa.

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, is celebrated by the Forward as one of the 32 most inspiring rabbis in the country. Recently, she was named one of Jewish Women’s International’s (JWI) “Women to Watch,” and is a proud senior fellow of the coveted Schusterman Fellowship, a leadership development program for individuals who are committed to growing their leadership in the Jewish community (an honor rarely bestowed on rabbis). Rabbi Holtzblatt also gratefully serves on the national board of Avodah and on the joint steering committee of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ).

Among Rabbi Holtzblatt’s many achievements here at Adas, she has completely revitalized our caretaking (Hesed) and bereavement efforts, co-created the acclaimed MakomDC adult learning curriculum, launched and leads our wildly successful “Return Again” worship services, and directs the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington, which has twice been recognized as one of America's top innovative Jewish projects by the annual Slingshot Guide for Jewish Innovation.

Previously, Rabbi Holtzblatt served as the Hillel Foundation Director of Campus Initiatives and as Associate Rabbi at the Yale University Hillel. Rabbi Holtzblatt was also a rabbinic fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in New York. She is married to Ari Holtzblatt, they have two children, Noa and Elijah.

Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky (asharofsky@jcouncil.org) Director, Intergroup Relations/ Rabbi in Residence

Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky is the JCRC's Director of Intergroup Relations/JCRC Rabbi in Residence. She studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2012. Abbi also holds a master’s degree from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, specializing in experiential Jewish education. Abbi was the deputy director of the Jewish Welfare Board Jewish Chaplains Council, where she worked with Jewish military personnel and veterans.

Rabbi Sharofsky is the recipient of the 2016 JPRO Network Young Professional Award for her dedication to the Jewish community through her work in the Jewish not for profit field. She is a Rabbis Without Borders fellow, 2018 cohort. She currently serves on the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Abbi and her husband, David live in Silver Spring with their two children.