As Homecoming revelers flocked Uptown on Saturday, Rabbi Danielle Leshaw was home, anxiously awaiting a phone call.
After receiving a call from Lisa Eliason, an Athens city prosecutor, Leshaw was informed that Obama for America – Ohio “might be calling.”
The phone rang again; this time, it was Kathy Hecht, Athens city auditor and chair of the Athens County Democratic Party — “They will be calling you.”
When the phone rang a third time, it was finally “them.” Chip Shannon, deputy political director for Obama for America – Ohio, invited Leshaw to give the invocation for President Barack Obama during his Athens visit Wednesday.
“It was incredibly exciting, but a person gets nervous, because there is a certain amount of weight to it,” she said. “I went immediately to the computer and searched invocations on YouTube to answer some questions for me.”
Rabbi Lee Moore, a friend of Leshaw’s, said the invocation for Obama at Kent State, so Leshaw also looked to her for advice.
Leshaw, 41, has been Hillel’s executive director since 2002, when she and her husband, Kevin Haworth, an assistant professor of English and the executive editor of Ohio University Press & Swallow Press, moved to Athens from their home in Philadelphia.
“I didn’t know where Athens, Ohio, was, but my husband and I looked on a map. So we decided to take a look, and we were really pleasantly surprised,” she said.
The small-town vibe seemed like a good place to raise children, the affordability was nice, and Athens reminded her of her childhood, Leshaw said.
Haworth and Leshaw met through Hillel at Arizona State University in 1995.
Haworth said similar interests always gave the duo something to do when they were together.
“She was, and is, fun and smart and really interested in learning,” he said. “When we lived in Arizona, we spent a lot of time hiking together and exploring the Southwest. That was just something that we both loved.”
The idea to become a rabbi was a search for something meaningful, Leshaw said.
“I decided to pursue rabbinics at a time that was sort of, in my mind, linked closely with my parents’ divorce and a lot of personal upheaval,” she said. “Admittedly, there was a need for stability and a value system that would guide me, and I also wanted to be able to help guide others.”
Although Orthodox Judaism does not allow for female rabbis, they are common in American Judaism, Leshaw said. She is the third female rabbi to serve Athens.
Hillel is connected to OU through the Division of Student Affairs and the Ohio University Foundation in that student organizations — such as Bobcats for Israel — can register through Hillel. Because of that, there is a shared endowment fund to support Jewish life on campus, Leshaw said.
However, Hillel is a stand-alone, nonprofit organization, and the operating budget of $170,000–$190,000 comes from private fundraising and donations.
Lauren Goldberg, office administrator for Hillel, has been working with Leshaw for two years.
“Rabbi Danielle is the most spectacular multi-tasker I have ever met, and her values are incredible,” Goldberg said. “She has allowed me to see the power I have and encourages others to blossom.”
Students who know Leshaw echo Goldberg’s sentiments.
“She works really well with students, and she’s good at communicating with people,” said Margaret Krueger, a junior studying journalism.
“I really respect her passion for spirituality in general,” Krueger said.
Krueger traveled with Leshaw and Haworth to Israel in 2010 for a summer abroad trip. She also babysits their two kids, 9-year-old Zev and 7-year-old Ruthie.
“Being a Christian and Catholic myself, she has just been really supportive, and I think that’s an amazing trait,” Kreuger said.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
