As a fourth-year rabbinical and education student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, Caitlin Brazner arrives for her student rabbi assignment at UHC with a strong resume.
Caitlin officiated her first virtual Shabbat service with UHC on Nov. 6, following previous posts at Temple B’nai Israel in Kokomo, Indiana; Temple Israel in Paducah, Ky.; and Temple B’nai Israel in Parkersburg, W. Va.
After graduating in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Caitlin participated in Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, a transformative, year-long program for young Jewish adults. Caitlin worked in Washington, D.C., at a non-profit serving underemployed and undereducated adults, where she studied the intersection of Judaism and social justice.
Social justice and service experience inspires rabbinical pursuit
Caitlin credits her Avodah year with inspiring her to pursue a career in meaningful Jewish professional work.
After Avodah, Caitlin worked for five years at Reform congregations in D.C. and Baltimore, Md., and the Union of Reform Judaism-operated Camp Harlam in Kunkletown, Pa. During these years of exploration, mentorship and reflection, Caitlin decided to enter the rabbinate.
Caitlin is chair of the Student Ministrations Committee at HUC-JIR Cincinnati. She is also pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Administration with a specialization in Jewish Education degree through the HUC-JIR and Xavier University-Cincinnati collaborative consortium program.
Caitlin is a native of Milwaukee, Wis. and a Green Bay Packers and UW-Madison Badgers fan. She and husband Scott Larsen and their dog, Pig, are happy to find themselves back in the Midwest.