Staring out over a Yosemite vista on summer break from medical school, Susan Schley was letting her mind wander when her thoughts drifted to chicken soup. She might have let the craving pass, but the lure of the soup’s comforting aroma was too strong. So she got in her car and drove to her grandmother’s house — in Philadelphia.
Years later, Schley would take another journey inspired by a reignited passion — this time, she would go from the doctor’s office to the bimah.
Schley, who now uses SaraLeya as her first name, took over as spiritual leader of Berkeley congregation Chochmat HaLev on July 18, but she is not new to the Bay Area Jewish community. For three years Schley worked at Or Shalom Jewish Community in San Francisco as a rabbinic intern and rabbi; she has also led services at two Berkeley synagogues, Aquarian Minyan and Congregation Netivot Shalom, among others.
Schley’s hiring was the result of a truly democratic process. For Chochmat, finding a new rabbi was a job not only for the community, but by the community. “The ratio of the search committee was set so that non-board members outnumbered board members,” says Larisa Blum, executive director of Chochmat.
The committee surveyed the Chochmat community to find out what they wanted in a leader. And members of Chochmat could participate in the search process at the click of the button: a link to e-mail the committee was prominently displayed on the Chochmat Web site, allowing community members to share their thoughts and suggestions at any time.
With Schley, 57, it seems that the congregation has found the right fit. During services, Chochmat fills with musical prayer. At her first interview, Schley did just the same. “She began the interview by leading the committee in a niggun, which solidified and reminded us of the spiritual mission of our work,” Blum says.
Schley’s path to religious leadership was anything but typical. Growing up in a Conservative Jewish community in Philadelphia, she originally found her spiritual roots in nature.
“The first 20 years of my life I spent a lot of time in the mountains,” Schley says. “I had always been connected to Judaism through the mountains, but being connected through nature and spirituality can be very different.”
After graduating from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, Schley went on to practice as an ob/gyn until she injured her hands. She refers to her injury as the “dark night of my soul’s journey,” but notes that it also “brought me back to spirituality and Judaism.”
Following her injury, Schley reconnected with Judaism through Elat Chayyim, a Jewish Renewal retreat center in the Catskills that emphasized the spiritual aspects of Judaism. Upon returning to Judaism, Schley took on her given Hebrew name, SaraLeya. She eventually decided to study for the rabbinate at ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and was ordained in 2005.
Schley’s family was surprised by her new path but very supportive of her decisions. One of Schley’s three children emulated his mother’s ability to travel beyond her comfort zone, and is currently serving in the Israeli army.
Even as Schley begins her position of spiritual leadership at Chochmat HaLev, she is also continuing to work part time as a physician. She has found that her medical and rabbinical paths “interpenetrate with each other — the spiritual practice I have developed through studying Judaism has enriched my ability to be a surgeon and a healer.”
Schley’s main goal for Chochmat is to create a communal atmosphere for spirituality and learning, which means connecting with community members, bringing Chochmat back to its roots as a meditation center and exploring the “deep meaning” of Jewish texts and Mussar teachings.
“Services [at Chochmat] are more than fun, they’re very exciting,” Schley says. “There is an incredible energy that generates and is brought into the hearts and lives of each person. The connectedness people feel from the Divine is something I want to make sure stays.”