Rabbi Julia Appel

Rabbi Julia Appel has a diverse work experience in the field of Jewish education and leadership. Rabbi Julia currently serves as the Senior Director of Innovation at Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Inc. in which they oversee projects related to Jewish community leadership and innovation training. Prior to this role, they worked as the Director of Innovation Training and Curriculum at Clal, where they were responsible for developing curricula and leading training projects across North America. Rabbi Appel also served as a Faculty Member at Clal, teaching and helping to develop community innovation projects.

In addition to their work at Clal, Rabbi Appel has experience as a Jewish Wedding Officiant, where they worked closely with couples in Toronto to design meaningful and personalized Jewish wedding ceremonies. Rabbi Julia has also worked at Hillel Ontario as a Senior Jewish Educator and Campus Rabbi, providing Jewish educational, ritual, and social justice content on campus. At Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism, they served as the Director of Education and Family Programming, ensuring high-quality Jewish education for students and managing a staff of teachers and specialists.

Rabbi Appel has also held positions at Congregation Dorshei Emet and Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, where they created children's and family programming, led services, and provided pastoral care. Rabbi Julia began their career at MIT Hillel as a Jewish Educator, focusing on engaging unaffiliated Jewish students and cultivating relationships for pastoral care and growth.

Rabbi Julia Appel completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies at Harvard University from 2000 to 2004. Rabbi Julia further pursued their education at Hebrew College, where they obtained a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Studies and received Rabbinic Ordination from 2006 to 2011.