Rabbi Michael Namath checked all the boxes to be a rabbinic student, according to the head of admissions for Hebrew Union College at the time.

Namath knew Rabbi Gary Zola from HUC programs he’d attended as a high school student. The two caught up when Namath was a junior at the University of Florida, unsure of where to go next.

“At the end of the conversation, [Zola] said, ‘You needed a language, so you took Hebrew … You were looking for a fraternity; you joined a Jewish fraternity. You were looking for a job; you worked at the nearby congregation’s Sunday school. You have leadership positions. You’re a good person. You have all the things that we’re looking for in rabbinic students,’” Namath recalled. “‘You should really think about applying.’”

His love for Jewish texts and learning also pointed Namath toward rabbinical school. “It felt like a natural transition,” he said.

The Potomac resident and member of Washington Hebrew Congregation is now the assistant vice president of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s Acting Together for Justice.

Working closely with Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Namath oversees RAC’s field and organizing team and programming — RAC has staff in nine states and runs a national campaign encouraging Americans to vote in the upcoming election. He also collaborates with RAC’s finance and development teams on budgeting and fundraising.

Namath used to directly lead the L’Taken Social Justice Seminars, four-day programs for teens interested in learning about Judaism, justice and various issues facing the United States.

A quarter-century into his tenure, he’s enjoying the job.

“Hands down, it’s the people that I work with that is something that has kept me here for 25 years,” Namath said. “There’s an interesting mix that we have now of these incredible one-year fellows who are so smart, so energetic, bringing a different perspective and a thoughtful one that often opens my eyes to things that I’ve never thought before … and then there are folks who I worked with for more than two decades.”

He described his team as supportive, helping to bring ideas into fruition. This efficiency is the result of a common understanding of Jewish values and texts and how they “live their Judaism,” putting those values into action.

“Also, we have this opportunity to have impact,” Namath said, speaking to RAC’s social justice work.

While he doesn’t always get to witness firsthand the positive effects of certain policy changes — such as the Affordable Care Act — on “everyday” Americans, Namath sees the impact on the leaders and teens that RAC works with.

“Both the impact on the individual that we’re able to have and the impact on our country, on states and on the people that live in those places, is something that’s kept me here and kept me going,” he said.

Social justice is so important to Namath because much of the Torah, he said, encourages people to protect the widow, the orphan and the stranger. “To me, those are some of the most vulnerable people in biblical society,” Namath said. “If the text is saying, ‘Think about the most vulnerable in society,’ how do we put that into action today?”

He recalled Moses’ famous demand of Pharaoh, “Let my people go.”

“He is going to the most powerful person in his time and demanding change, and for me, there’s a parallel, that when we go to the rulers today and say, ‘Things aren’t right; there needs to be a change,’ it’s coming directly out of our values and our tradition,” Namath explained.

Jewish text is particularly important to Namath, a true “person of the book.”

“Because I loved studying Jewish texts, I wanted to have the opportunity to teach people Jewish texts and values and traditions, help them understand them, and help them translate it to how it impacts their life today,” Namath said. “That really helped me as I was thinking of what was next for me after rabbinical school.”

He considered pursuing work as a pulpit rabbi, but ultimately chose a more flexible position to be able to care for his infant daughter. Months after he took on his role with RAC, Namath began serving as High Holiday rabbi at George Mason University Hillel for 15 years, then later, that same role at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington.

The youngest of five, Namath comes from a family deeply involved in Reform Judaism. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and his parents decided to move the family to Florida in search of warmer weather when he was 12.

“They actually called the Reform movement at that point,” Namath said of his parents. “They called the regional office and said, ‘We want to move to Florida … We want to be near the beach and Jews — where should we go?’ And they recommended Clearwater, Florida, which is on the west coast, near Tampa.”

Namath’s parents flew down to visit the local Reform synagogue and meet the rabbi. When they returned two months later, the rabbi remembered their names. “They were sold,” Namath said.

His parents only decided where to base their soon-to-open business after they figured out where the family would attend synagogue.

“That gives a sense of how central congregational life was for our family,” Namath said.

For now, the rabbi strives to enact change at the state and federal levels by increasing RAC’s reach.

“What I really want to see going forward is thinking about, ‘How can we bring even more people in? How can we expand the circle?’” Namath said.

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com