Rabbi Sarah Newmark came to the Northwest back in 1978 for graduate school and stayed. Prior to changing careers to pursue the rabbinate, she took on a number of educational roles—teaching learning disabled children and adults, teaching college English as adjunct faculty at community colleges and universities, and working as an educational administrator in a number of institutions. She also taught Hebrew school and tutored many students as they prepared to become bar or bat mitzvah. Prior to beginning her rabbinical studies, Rabbi Newmark was a Jewish lay leader for more than 20 years, serving on boards of both local and national organizations.

Rabbi Newmark began to serve Congregation Beth Hatikvah in July 2010, and she became the rabbi of the congregation in September 2011.

Rabbi Newmark’s Vision Statement for her rabbinate:

הֵן עַל־כַּפַּיִם חַקֹּתִיךְ

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands….” Isaiah 49:16

I believe that there is a sacred undercurrent in the world and that our task is to shine a light on it so that the holiness that lies just beneath the surface can bubble up to the top. This may seem like an insurmountable challenge, but we can start small. If we imbue even one of our daily interactions with a spark of divinity, we can change the world, one infinitesimal but ultimately crucial step at a time.

This verse from the prophet Isaiah reminds us of God’s immanence and presence. “I will never forget you,” says God in the previous verse, and the beautiful imagery of verse 16 teaches us that we are inextricably and permanently bound up with the Source of Holiness.

It is a deep privilege to serve the people of Congregation Beth Hatikvah, a wonderful, warm and welcoming community which has provided a continual Jewish address in the Kitsap Peninsula since 1947. Please come and meet us!

Rabbi Sarah