It wasn’t until the 2016 presidential election that Rabbi Kelly Whitehead realized her calling as a rabbi.

At the time, the Washington, D.C., resident was working at Temple Sinai and URJ Camp Harlam. She thought about going back to school, but wasn’t yet sure what for.

Then, President Donald Trump was elected.

“It was very challenging for the Jewish community, and at [Temple] Sinai, I was really impressed by the rabbis and clergy there, using their moral voice to speak out,” Whitehead said.

She watched as the clergy members attended protests in the streets of the nation’s capital.

“And they were all at the same time holding the community,” Whitehead said. “It felt like they were trusted by the community and able to uplift the members of the community and hold them and give them space to not only grieve but take action.”

Whitehead was also optimistic seeing local clergy fight racism, even while she herself experienced microaggressions from within the Jewish community.

“On one hand, I felt so proud of this community for fighting the big-picture problems of the world, but not yet have addressed the internal racism and biases that we all have,” she reflected.

She was babysitting for a multiracial family in D.C. when, looking at the young children who mirrored her Black and Jewish heritage, she thought, “I don’t want this to be the Judaism that they inherit one day.” That realization prompted her to register for rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College.

“I was already thinking about going back to school,” Whitehead said. “I was looking at social work programs, I was looking at education programs, I was looking at political science programs … Finally, there was a way to do all that.”

Whitehead served as a rabbinic intern at Temple Micah the summer before she was ordained in 2024. She’s back at Temple Micah as a rabbinic fellow for two years, a role she began July 1.

She is responsible for the “typical congregational work” of an assistant rabbi, including leading rituals, holidays, lifecycle events and education. Her favorite part? “Just being with people.”

“I was previously working remotely … so it’s been really special to be with people in those moments, share that sacred space and hear what brought them into the Jewish community, what brought them into Temple Micah,” Whitehead said. “I love hearing what people are passionate about, so these developing relationships have been really great.”

She also enjoys the Temple Micah team and looks forward to getting involved with its adult education, youth and religious school programming.

Before that, Whitehead served as the Union for Reform Judaism’s assistant director of engagement and learning, a role that included helping with some Religious Action Center’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminars.

Wanting to pave the way for fellow non-white Jews, Whitehead is the D.C. ambassador for Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

“I really believe that everyone should have access to Jewish learning,” she said. “I believe that we should not have a fence around the Torah, and Ammud’s programming is FUBU — for us, by us — and it helps folks who are looking for new ways to access education.”

As the D.C. ambassador, Whitehead helps support the Edlavitch DCJCC’s Jews of color family programming. The group most recently gathered for a picnic at Malcolm X Park.

“The family programming is a way for parents [of Jews of color or transracial adoptees] to come together and the kids to get to know each other,” she said. “They never have to be the only kid of color or one of only a handful of kids of color in the room. They can grow up seeing that’s normal.”

Growing up in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, Whitehead never felt particularly singled out due to her race.

“I think when I started doing exclusively Jewish stuff, that’s when I started to feel more othered or different,” she said, adding that she attended Jewish summer camp as a teen and became more involved in the Jewish world.

Whitehead is proud of the work she’s done with Jewish teens of color. Through URJ, she created and helped run the Teen Jews of Color Fellowship.

“I’ve done DEI trainings and helped white people in the community wrestle with big questions of race and identity,” Whitehead said. “[I] help teens wrestle with big questions of race and identity and what it means to be a Jew in this ever-changing world. I’m proud of the relationships I’ve built doing that and the communities and experiences that I’ve helped facilitate, create or contribute to.”

She also serves on the advisory council of JOIN for Justice’s Jew of Color Organizing Fellowship and the board of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, reflecting her passion for pursuing justice efforts.

“I really want to get to know the community — not just Temple Micah, but the broader D.C. Jewish community and better learning the ecosystem as a congregational rabbi,” Whitehead said. “I’m hoping to deepen and expand the social justice work of our congregation. I’m hoping to gain confidence in the role personally.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com