She wakes up bright and early almost every day, and is at the gym by 5 a.m., for her hour-long workout. Sandra Lawson is admittedly a "crazy weightlifter" who's been at it for more than 20 years and used to compete as a bodybuilder and powerlifter. During the summer, she also runs on trails near her home and enjoys biking to work and elsewhere, whenever possible.
Clearly, Lawson is dedicated, determined … and truly devout.
Lawson, 45, finished her fourth year this spring at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College outside Philadelphia. She's off to Jerusalem in the fall to complete her externship in Israel, and she expects to be ordained as a rabbi in 2018.
Yes, she will be a rabbi—a rarity unto itself. And that's just a tip of her pioneering path of righteousness.
Lawson is African-American and a lesbian—and is believed to be the first Black, out lesbian rabbi.
Sally Priesand was ordained as the first American female rabbi in 1972, and Internet reports say there have been less than 1,000 women ordained in the three American Jewish denominations.
Regina Jonas of Berlin, Germany, was the first woman to be ordained a rabbi in the world—done back in 1935.
Deborah Brin became the first openly gay rabbi in 1985, and Stacy Offner in 1988 became the first out lesbian rabbi hired by a mainstream Jewish congregation ( Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis ).
"I have had some challenges, challenging moments, mostly around people not realizing that I actually am Jewish," said Lawson, who was born in St. Louis and now lives in Philadelphia. She has even been interrupted while praying, and wearing traditional Jewish garb, to ask if she's Jewish.
"However, the communities that I serve, where I work, they have been amazing. It's been great learning experiences, opportunities, and I've been able to work with and for some amazing people."
Lawson, who had a personal training business for about 10 years, graduated from graduate school in 2006 with a degree in sociology. "I was really on my way, at least in my mind, [to] getting a PhD in sociology, and wanted to focus on areas of race, gender, etc."
Lawson had converted to Judaism before grad school, and admittedly "had really fallen in love with Judaism, and really connected on a more spiritual level."
So, "becoming a rabbi just seemed like something I wanted to do," she said.
Lawson was admitted to rabbinical school in 2011. "I knew I was a good candidate," she said. "The day that I found out that I got accepted, I was way happier than the day that I got accepted to graduate school."
Lawson said that about 20 percent of the American Jewish population self-identifies as racially and ethnically diverse. "Jews of color, meaning, Jews who are not white are actually a much bigger number than people actually realize, she said.
Despite her pioneering path, Lawson said there is not enormous pressure, just the same pressure that most rabbinical students feel. Her past has strengthened her present.
"If I was 20, or 25, or this was my first career, I probably would feel more pressure. But I'm now 45, and I feel very confident that when I finish rabbinical school, I will have all of the tools that I need, and the communities that I serve will want to have me as their rabbi. I don't really feel a lot of pressure to go any harder than a lot of my classmates do," Lawson said.
Lawson's biggest question and/or dilemma now is, which way she wants to go when she carries the 'Rabbi' title, come June 2018.
"There are [multiple] areas of focus [for a rabbi], such as, social justice, pulpit, campus, etc. I don't necessarily have to pick any of those, nor do I know where I'll land, but I'm sure it will totally fit for me," said Lawson, who has an active GoFundMe page to aide her rabbinical school expenses. ( To support Lawson, go to: www.gofundme.com/sandralawson ).
Lawson's chaplaincy training will end this summer the week before she's marrying her partner of three years, Susan Hurrey, a court reporter.
"I'm very excited [for the wedding]. I can't wait," Lawson said.
They will be married in Pennsylvania.
"I'm also very excited to go to Israel. I was raised in a non-religious household; my parents had their own religious background. I wasn't steeped in any particular religious traditions."
Lawson is a former military police officer who enjoys comic books and graphic novels. She admittedly loves to read, write and is a vegan.
"One of the reasons I don't mind doing interviews is, I really want to bring attention to the racial and ethnic diversity of the Jewish community. I really want people to re-think what it means to be Jewish in the United States," Lawson said.
