About

Adina Allen is a fourth year rabbinical student in Hebrew College’s transdenominational program in Boston and a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Her passion lies at the intersection of Judaism, ecology, and creativity.

This year Adina will be the rabbinic intern at Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, MA, teaching adult education and working with the community to create a 3-5 year plan for the recently received grant focused on creative arts programming. This past year Adina was the rabbinic fellow at Tufts University Hillel where she is working with staff and students to creatively re-imagine the Friday night Shabbat experience. Adina just completed an interfaith leadership fellowship through the  CIRCLE fellowship program of Hebrew College and Andover Newton Seminary. As a CIRCLE fellow Adina led interfaith learning sessions using diverse creative modalities to explore texts and traditions of Judaism and Christianity.

At Hebrew College, Adina envisioned and curated Emunah v’Omanut—an art exhibit that gave voice to the diverse ways we balance being inheritors and innovators of Judaism. She has led creative beit midrash sessions – using writing and art as a means of exploring text, tradition, and prayer – in a wide variety of Jewish settings. This summer will be her second year an Education Fellow at the Brandeis Bardin Collegiate Institute in Southern California where she will be staffing the beit midrash, leading creative prayer sessions, fused art and creativity with Torah, and working with groups in the organic garden.

After training for three years under Justine Wiltshire Cohen, founder of Down Under Yoga in Boston, Adina received her yoga teacher certification from Kripalu. In 2009 she co-founded the Movement Minyan at Hebrew College, in which participants explore elements of traditional Jewish prayer through the body.

Prior to rabbinical school Adina worked for 2 years as the Assistant Editor of Tikkun magazine. Adina has been a contributing scholar to the interfaith blog State of Formation since its inception in 2010, with over 25 published pieces, and was the editorial assistant for the recently-released book My Neighbor’s Faith (Orbis 2012).

Adina grew up in Oak Park, IL and received her BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Tufts University in 2005. After graduating, she directed the Tufts Wilderness Orientation Program. She then went on to explore the connection between Judaism, sustainability and organic farming as an Adamah Fellow at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Adina currently serves on the board of Adamah and is a visiting faculty member.

In her free time Adina loves to ferment foods, bake bread, run around with her dog Barley, host gatherings in the barn with her husband Jeff, and stand on her head.

For CV, click here