‘We’re taking this journey together’: Henderson synagogue officially introduces new senior rabbi
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Congregation Ner Tamid formally introduced a new senior rabbi on Friday.
Though she’s been on the job since Rabbi Sanford Akselrad retired in June, Jessica Hutchings, 40, was officially introduced to the Henderson congregation, the largest Reform Judaism synagogue in Nevada, to much song, fanfare and celebration during a two-hour installation Shabbat on Friday night.
The congregation’s cantor for over a decade, Hutchings said after the service that the “responsibility of caring” for her spiritual community is something that’s not lost on her.
“It’s a big task and I want to make sure I’m there for every person,” said Rabbi-Cantor Hutchings. “I don’t think a lot about my age, but maybe as I age and sage, it will seem less daunting. Right now, it’s pretty daunting, sure.”
‘The real deal’
In his first words before the congregation since leaving in June, Akselrad called his successor “the real deal” and joked that she has drawn bigger crowds than he did before he left.
Akselrad has known Hutchings her entire adult life. He actually presided over her bat mitzvah on Feb. 14, 1998.
“Over the years, Jessica’s shown her talent, vision, integrity and humility, all wrapped in a voice that quite literally carries us through highs and lows,” Akselrad said. “Tradition encourages former rabbis to give space to ensure the new rabbi can shine without feeling overshadowed. I worried about that and I wanted to be respectful, but I knew when I walked in tonight there was no overshadowing happening here. This is her moment and her night.”
Only the fourth senior rabbi in Ner Tamid’s 51-year history and its first female leader, Hutchings does have her own style. Unlike any of the other previous rabbis, she stood at a podium before the audience of about 300 and read her notes from an iPad.
She also used a microphone that had a bedazzled glittery handle.
“I love sparkle,” Hutchings said. “It’s part of the uniqueness that is me. Our theme this year is ‘yehi or,’ which means let there be light and the idea is that we all bring our own little sparkle and, when you add all the sparkles together, you have a beacon of light.”
Born in California, Hutchings spent her formative years in the Las Vegas Valley, eventually graduating from Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.
Hutchings said she was sure at first where her career path would lead — for a while, she had her sights set on the USC Thornton School of Music Opera Program — but she said she’s sure she is where she is supposed to be.
As a woman, she said it’s inevitable that she’ll have to transcend negativity. She said she was reminded of that when a local television station recently produced a piece on her. In the online comments section, she said there were some “disgusting” comments.
“Outside the community, I know there will be a certain amount of misogyny that I’ll face,” Hutchings said. “There are some people who don’t understand and who think the only way is for a man to lead. Sometimes, when someone doesn’t understand something, there’s negativity that comes with that, so I do face that, but I have to rise above it. I know I’m called to do this work and this community knows I’m called to do this work.”
Friday’s installation came two days before the first night of Chanukah, which takes place from nightfall on Sunday to nightfall on Dec. 22.
‘You believed in me before I did’
Her congregation community includes Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley, both of whom were in attendance Friday night.
Rosen, a former congregation president, was part of the search committee that lead to the hiring of Hutchings as cantor for Ner Tamid over a decade ago.
During the service, Rosen told Hutchings she’s long been impressed by her.
“I’m so proud to have you be, now, my rabbi,” Rosen said. “You’re the right person for the job.”
In November, Hutchings was accepted into the prestigious Central Conference of American Rabbis, the professional rabbinic organization of the Reform Judaism movement.
“I’m just honored to be able to do this work,” Hutchings told her congregation at one point. “Being a rabbi, that was never on any of my bingo cards, but my role as cantor began to evolve over the years and I began to believe there was something more in store. You believed in me before I did. You invested in my learning and growth. We did this, and we’re taking this journey together.”
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
