Hillel Norry | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | Rochester, NY |
| Nationality | American |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Brandeis University |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
Hillel Norry is an American rabbi.
Norry completed rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in 1993. [1] [2] After ordination, he taught at JTS for a short time. [2]
The synagogue Shaare Zedek hired Norry in 1994, where he was able to attract younger members to join it. Norry supported caretaking, cleanup, and responsibility over a cemetery owned by the synagogue, navigating declining interest for those tasks among board-members. He left Shaare Zedek in 2002, taking a position in Atlanta. [3] According to the New York Jewish Week, Norry "was widely credited with reviving" the congregation. [4]
In 2002, Norry took a senior rabbi position with Congregation Shearith Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Atlanta, Georgia. [4] [2] As of 2014, Norry remained in this position. [5] In April 2021, Norry was interim rabbi in Chattanooga's B’nai Zion, [6] then joined Temple Beth-El as interim rabbi in Birmingham as of June 2021, [7] and remains in that position as of August 2021. [5]
Norry is a member of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership's Rabbis Without Borders program. [1] In 2009, he was among the program's first cohort of fellows. [8]
Norry served as rabbinic consultant for Keeping the Faith , a romantic comedy released in 2000. The film depicts a love triangle between a Conservative rabbi, a Catholic priest and friend of the rabbi, and a childhood friend of the pair. Reflecting in 2020 on the movie, Norry said, "I met with Ed Norton, and they asked if I would be their consultant... I said I do want to do it, but I need to see the script and I need to know that it’s not disrespectful to rabbis and Judaism. They sent me a script, and I signed on, and I actually really like the story". [9]
Norry was born in Rochester, New York. He attended public school there. He attended Brandeis University, at that time intending to enter academia. [2]
His grandparents Ruth and Sol Singer were among Atlanta's Jewish leadership. His mother Sharon Norry was involved in arts and Judaica. [2]
Norry participates in martial arts and says he began self-defense after a man who had previously sent him antisemitic messages appeared at his synagogue and threatened him in person. [10] He feels that similar intensity, focus, and ritual are present in both Jewish spiritual practice and martial arts, saying, "I think my martial arts practice changed my Judaism. I became a different kind of Jew. I began to really see my prayer life as a parallel to martial training." [11] Norry says he started learning Tae Kwon Do and marksmanship in the 2010s. He believes this allowed him to provide an experiential form of learning and arts. [1] As rabbi, Norry was accepting of congregants who brought concealed weapons to services, saying, "We have an armed security guard ... every Shabbat, but he's just one guy." [5]
Norry is vegan. He has a home garden and is a prolific pickler, a practice he learned from his mother. [12]