artist.
rabbi.
educator.
Rabbi Chel Mandell is a queer, gender-expansive Jew from the San Francisco Bay Area. Their rabbinate is rooted in joy, expressed through their work as a dedicated and soulful Jewish educator and director. With over 12 years of teaching experience, Chel is deeply committed to reimagining Jewish communal landscapes through creative Jewish practice and justice-centered work.
Chel is the rabbi, founder and creative director of the Tzimtzum Community based in Santa Cruz CA with the vision being:
We are queer, trans, and gender-expansive Jews. We hold queer-only affinity space by centering the Jewish diasporic experience; refocusing on Jewish tradition, ritual, and community gathering here in Santa Cruz, California. Other times we welcome our allies to join us for Shabbats, holidays, rituals, learning, and gatherings. We celebrate Judaism by centering the margins of the mainstream Jewish community. We welcome anti-zionist, non-zionist, questioning, challenged, and curious Jews.
