Rabbinic Intern Benjy Forester

Benjy Forester is thrilled to be returning to SPS for his second year as Rabbinic Intern, as he finishes his final year of studies at JTS Rabbinical School. Benjy earned a BA from Washington University in St. Louis in the interdisciplinary Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy (PNP) program and also served as Hillel President. After college, Benjy traveled to Budapest, Hungary as the inaugural JDC Jewish Service Corps Fellow. Benjy has also worked for many years at Ramah Wisconsin, spending multiple summers with the Tikvah (special needs) program, and serving as a Rosh Aidah (unit head) multiple times.

Benjy moved to New York in 2017 to study at the Hadar Yeshiva, before entering JTS Rabbinical School the following year. A Nachshon Project Graduate Fellow, Benjy has interned in diverse settings since beginning rabbinical school, including in rural Maine with the Center for Small Town Jewish Life, at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, SC, and at the millennial engagement organization Base Hillel in Chicago. Benjy also completed a unit of clinical pastoral education, working as a hospital chaplain at Northwestern Memorial Hospital during summer 2020.
Benjy loves learning and teaching, but also traveling, playing basketball, and quoting lines from the Big Lebowski. He has loved his experiences learning, schmoozing, davening, singing, and beyond with his SPS community, and looks forward to more special moments in the year ahead.

Dvar Torahs: Chanukah 2020, Parashat Noah, Parashat Kedoshim, Ki Tavo, Breishit, Acharei mot (Masorti Shabbat), Shelach Lecha, Yitro, JTS Senior Sermon

JTS Torah Commentary: Never Too Late to Get Close

Times of Israel: Judgement Day

Blog: Benjy With a Why - Benjy’s year in Hungary (2016-17)