TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Finding Aid to the Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers. 1970-2015.
Manuscript Collection No. 895
Introduction |
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| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Creator: | Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg |
| Title: | Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers |
| Dates: | 1970-2015 |
| Quantity: | 1.2 linear feet (3 Hollinger boxes) |
| Abstract: | The Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers document the life of the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the Reconstructionist Movement. The collection consists of sermons, speeches, writings, newsclippings, and audiovisual materials. There are extensive materials on Sasso’s journey into the rabbinate and her experiences as a woman rabbi including her rabbinic diploma, first rabbinic contract, correspondence, speeches delivered, articles, and creative works. Also included are clippings collected by Sasso on women in Judaism. |
| Collection Number: | MS-895 |
| Language: | Collection material in English. |
Biographical Sketch
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1947, is the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the Reconstructionist movement. She attended Temple University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and her Master of Arts in 1972. In 1974, she was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. In 1996, Rabbi Sasso received her Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary. In June 2013, she received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is also the recipient of several honorary doctorates from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, DePauw University, Butler University, Franklin College, and Christian Theological Seminary.
After ordination in 1974, Sasso began her career serving as rabbi of the Manhattan Reconstructionist Havurah in New York. In 1977, Sasso moved to Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis, Indiana to serve as rabbi – jointly with her husband, Dennis C. Sasso. She is the first woman to serve as rabbi for a conservative congregation and she and her husband are the first practicing rabbinical couple in Jewish history. In 2013, after 36 years of service at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, Sasso retired and became Rabbi Emerita.
Sasso is a past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, served on the Indianapolis Board of Rabbis, and on the Rabbinic Advisory Board of the national Jewish Fund for Justice. Since 2013, she has served as Director of the Religion, Spirituality, and Arts Initiative at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary. She continues to write and lecture on women and Judaic spirituality interfaith issues and the discovery of the religious imagination in children.
She is the author of several nationally acclaimed children's books and is the 2004 recipient of the Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Literature. Her children's book, The Shemah in the Mezuzah won the 2012 National Jewish Book Award for Best Illustrated Children's Book. She has been honored as one of the “Influential Women in Indiana” by the Indianapolis Business Journal and was featured among "Indy's Most Influential Clergy" by NUVO News Weekly. She is the recipient of the "Sagamore of the Wabash," the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of the state of Indiana. Sasso is also the recipient of the 2013 Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Lifetime Rabbinic Service Award. She received the Spirit of the Prairie Award from Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, and in 2012, was honored with the Touchstone Award from Girls, Inc. In 2014 she received the Heritage Keepers Award from the Indiana State Museum.
Scope and Content Note
The Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers document the life of the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the Reconstructionist movement. The collection consists of sermons, speeches, writings, newsclippings, and audiovisual materials. There are extensive materials on Sasso’s journey into the rabbinate and her experiences as a woman rabbi including her rabbinic diploma, first rabbinic contract, correspondence, speeches delivered, articles, and creative works. Also included are clippings collected by Sasso on women in Judaism.
The collection also highlights the career of Sasso’s husband, Dennis C. Sasso, who jointly served as rabbi at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck. Series B. Sermons, contains High Holy Day sermons given by both Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Dennis C. Sasso.
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged in two (2) series:
- Series A. General. 1970-2015.
- Series B. Sermons. 1995-2012.
Conditions of Access and Use
Terms of Access
The collection is open for use; no restrictions apply.
Terms of Reproduction and Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce, with exceptions for fair use, may be obtained through the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please address queries to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information, see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Related Material
"Across Indiana." VT-966.
Central Conference of American Rabbis. Convention photographs and sessions, 2008. CD-422 to CD-432, CD-441, PC-4908.
Following in the Footsteps of Rabbi Regina Jonas : A Historic Gathering of the Four American Jewish Women who were the First Female Ordinees of their Denominations to Honor the Memory of History's First Woman Rabbi, Regina Jonas (1902-1944), 26 October 2015. CD-1394.
In the Footsteps of Regina Jonas, 2015. CD-1266, SC-16305.
Rabbis Dennis and Sandy Sasso : 25 Years with Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, 2002. VT-965.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. CD-1262.
Religion, Spirituality and the Arts, March 2014. CD-1263.
A Sabbath evening with Rabbi Sandy Sasso and Carrie Newcomer, 2012. CD-1260.
Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg. Nearprint Biographies.
Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg. Photographs. PC-4911.
Tell Me a Story, 17 May 2013. CD-1265.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers, MS-895, Box [#], Folder [#]. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
The Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Papers were received from Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Indianapolis, Ind., in April 2008 and February 2015.
Processing Information
Processed by Michelle Smith, June 2016.
Box Folder Listing
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA Online Catalog.