Biography
Alicia Harris is in her final year of rabbinic studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH. She is a trained community organizer and involved in criminal justice reform work.
Alicia grew up in Toledo, OH, where she attended Temple Congregation Shomer Emunim.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated cum laude in Political Science and Religious Studies. She served as a student leader at the Pittsburgh Hillel, was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, and was very politically active on campus. After graduation and before HUC-JIR, she worked for two years at Temple Sinai of Pittsburgh as the executive assistant to the Senior Rabbi.
Alicia was the rabbinic fellow at the Valley Temple for three years; teaching religious school, leading and organizing the Friday Night Live band, expanding the family education curriculum, and developing a social justice program. She was also the rabbinic fellow at Cedar Village, a long-term care facility for aging adults. There she primarily focused on developing the Music and Memory program, which brought a higher quality of life to many residents.
Last year she was the Rabbinic Intern at the Jewish Community Relations Council in Cincinnati, where she is focused on community engagement and outreach in order to help Jews reach across lines of difference to build relationships.
She has had the privilege of serving as the student rabbi in Columbus and Muncie, Indiana, as well as in Portsmouth and Toledo, Ohio.
Alicia was the Vice President of Tikkun Olam on the Rabbinic Student Association, and the HUC-JIR student representative to the Commission on Social Action, the governing body of the Religious Action Center (RAC).
She she is currently serving as the Rabbi at Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy, MI.
Alicia is an avid salsa dancer and a singer. She loves live music, practicing yoga, reading, petting every single dog, and spending quality time with her family and friends.