Chel Mandell is a queer gender expansive Jew from the S.F. Bay Area. They are a fifth year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in California. A dedicated and soulful Jewish educator/director with 12 years of experience teaching, they are deeply committed to reimagining Jewish community landscapes through creative Jewish practice. Chel works at the University of San Francisco and is supporting the launch of the first justice, equity, diversity and inclusion certificate program offered through the University’s Jewish studies and social justice program.

Chel’s project, The Tzimtzum Collective, is a queer centered Jewish community project that carves out space to hold both Jewish tradition and radical new ways to gather and engage in Judaism.

Chel completed a year-long rabbinic internship with The Kitchen in San Francisco and is thrilled to integrate this knowledge into their expanding communities. Chel is an avid surfer and ocean lover, ceramicist and activist with visions of bringing all of these interests and intersections to enrich their rabbinate.

City: Santa Cruz, CA
Pronouns: they/them