Jessy Dressin (She/Her) is the founding Executive Director and Rabbi of Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh. Rabbi Jessy, as people affectionately call her, was ordained at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 2012 and has been working as a community rabbi for the last twelve years. She most recently worked as the Senior Director of Jewish Education for Repair the World after building a nationally recognized model for young adult engagement, Charm City Tribe, out of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore.

The through-thread of Jessy’s rabbinate has been a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and disruption in an effort to ensure that Judaism and Jewish tradition can be relevant and resonant in the lives of those who are not connecting to the community in “traditional” ways. Rabbi Jessy is deeply committed to the belief that meaningful Jewish engagement is about the real basics of Judaism: learning, practice, service and kindness to others. Thus, she aspires to be a conduit to individuals and communities engaging deeply with the wisdom of Jewish tradition as both a voice and influence on how Jews and their loved ones move through the world today. She has been named one of The Forward’s Most Influential Rabbis, published multiple articles on Jewish peoplehood and engagement and presented an Eli Talk called: The New Wanderers – God, Millennials and Jewish Engagement. Most recently, Rabbi Jessy published an essay in the book Phish and Contemporary Jewish Identity titled: Pilgrimage and Communal Rejoicing from the Ancient Temple to YEMSG. In every place, she aspires to convey that Judaism fares much better when approached as a playground – immersive, tactile, interactive and full of discovery.

When not at Third Space, Rabbi Jessy loves spending time with her husband Mark, seeing live music, convening with nature and traveling to new and favorite places.