Hello! My name is Ilana Symons (HUC ‘24).
I grew up in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. My Mom serves as the rabbi of Temple David, my home congregation. I studied at New York University. I received my B.A. in 2019 in Philosophy, Multifaith and Spiritual Leadership, and Hebrew and Judaic Studies. During my time at HUC, I have studied on all four campuses: Jerusalem (2019-2020), Cincinnati (2020-2022), New York (2022-2024), and Los Angeles (Summer 2023).
I decided to become a rabbi at age 14, largely through my experiences with NFTY and at the Kutz Camp.
I love to visit museums and see musicals. I am always hunting for a great novel. I also spend time cooking up vegan recipes!
About Me
Sermons and Writing Samples
I was honored to deliver my senior sermon last February, advised by Rabbi Lisa Grant. I spoke about Parashat Mishpatim and my ever-evolving covenant with G-d. You can watch it here:
My writing appears twice in Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah. The book seeks to suggest alternate haftarah portions for the weekly Torah reading cycle and the Jewish holiday cycle as well as haftarah portions for holidays which have never had one. I proposed the beginning of the book of Jeremiah as an alternate haftarah for parashat Chayei Sarah, when Isaac enters adulthood. I also selected a passage from the Talmud about the importance of trees as a haftarah for Tu B’Shevat - my favorite holiday!
I love serving as the rabbinic intern at the Community Synagogue of Port Washington, especially when I get to share the bimah with the wonderful clergy team. Here you can find a recording of me leading services with Cantor Gladstone-Martin and Rabbi Rothman and delivering a sermon about the willful ignorance present in Parashat Toldot and in our discussions about the war in Israel.