Abstract
In her second interview, conducted in 2013, Maggie M. Wenig begins by discussing her admission to Brown University, where she was involved with the Brown University Women’s Minyan. She discusses the rigor of the Religious Studies Department, the strength of its professors and their mentorship, specifically Professor Jacob Neusner, and her subsequent inspiration to go to the rabbinate at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Wenig then recounts her career as a rabbi and teacher, discussing her various efforts on behalf of LGBTQ individuals, victims of AIDS, and the mentally ill, and her sermon “God is a Woman and She Is Growing Older.” Towards the end of the interview, Wenig explores aspects of her personal life, including her own coming out process and her two marriages.
See also: Maggie M. Wenig, class of 1978 (interview 1 of 2)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Recorded on November 8, 2013 at the Hebrew Union College, Brooklyn, NY
Interviewed by Elisa Glubok
Suggested Chicago style citation: Wenig, Maggie M. Interview. By Elisa Glubok. Pembroke Center Oral History Project, Brown University. November 8, 2013.
Biography
Maggie M. Wenig was born on February 7, 1957 in New York City. She attended Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, and graduated from Brown University in 1978 with an A.B. in religious studies. She was ordained in 1984 and is a Rabbi and Instructor at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Wenig has been a long-time activist for feminist and LGBT issues in the Jewish community.