Introducing Rabbi Samantha Thal

Introducing Bet Shalom’s new assistant rabbi

with Eric Bressler

Welcome to Bet Shalom Congregation, Rabbi Thal! It’s exciting to have you as a member of our clergy. Of course your Bio is already on our website. Let’s introduce you to our readers in greater depth through this interview.

Please tell us about your family in St. Louis and your own history there.

I grew up in St. Louis in a close family who are very involved in the Jewish community. My parents, Mark and Marci, and my brother Ben still live there along with my grandma, aunt and uncle and many cousins. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of sitting around the Shabbat table at my grandparents house, celebrating holidays with my family and dancing around the living room to Debbie Friedman music.  

Parts of my Dad’s family go way back in St. Louis, at least five generations that I know of including the people still there. My mom grew up in Chicago, so we spent a lot of time there when my brother and I were younger.

How did you learn to play guitar? Did you play in any groups?

I started playing guitar at camp when I was 14. When I came home, I took weekly lessons with my congregational songleading. He taught me guitar in the context of Jewish music and songleading and invited me to play guitar and lead singing with him in religious school and Shabbat services. My years of musical participation and leadership are a big part of why I became a rabbi. Music got me in the door, and the weekly practice of participating in Shabbat services with my community became such an important part of my life that I wanted to keep doing it forever and from a place of deeper learning.

Who are your musical influences, both in Jewish music and in contemporary music?

A lot of my Jewish musical influences come from camp and the songleading world. I’ve learned from many incredible Jewish musicians and teachers at conferences like Hava Nashira and Songleader Boot Camp so my list could go on and on. My top 5: Debbie Friedman, Dan Nichols, Rick Recht, Elana Arian, and Chava Mirel.

My secular musical influences also have some roots in my time at camp. My top 5 musical influences are Joni Mitchell, Dan Fogelberg, Dar Williams, Peter, Paul and Mary and the Indigo Girls. I love music with great lyrics that tell a story or carry a message.

You’ve taught religious school at Shaare Emeth, B’nai Amoona, and Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community Day School in St. Louis as well as at Temple Israel of Hollywood, Temple Judea in Tarzana, and Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, California. What were your experiences like?

I’ve learned different things from each of the places where I’ve worked and taught. Shaare Emeth gave me the perspective of being in a community over a long period of time. I got to see how the religious school and the wider community evolved over the 10+ years I worked there. The depth of my learning at Shaare Emeth gave me a baseline to compare to all the other places I worked and see the patterns and similarities between the programs and the people invested in them.

My biggest takeaway from these experiences is that no matter how different communities may appear from the outside, we are all working towards the same goals, and often in similar ways. It has been great to watch the shift in Jewish education towards experiential learning and joyful Jewish experiences. We can’t teach students everything in the limited time we have with them, but if we help students to find meaning in their tradition in a way that is relevant to their lives, they will know that they can keep coming back for more throughout their lives.

You’ve led services regularly in Louisville, KY and Redding, CA, places that were away from your home. What’s it like traveling to other communities to lead services?

I had incredible experiences in both Louisville and Redding. Both congregations taught me the beauty of a small, dedicated community where the congregants truly take ownership of their Jewish experience. In Louisville I practiced stepping into a leadership role in an unfamiliar setting which became like a second home over time. As a student rabbi in Redding I helped guide the community through the first two years of the pandemic, adapting their gathering to Zoom and then back to in-person and hybrid gatherings. Entering the community in such a vulnerable time taught me the importance of balancing the logistics of the congregation with the emotional experiences of its members.

When did you first consider becoming a rabbi, and how did you make your decision?

I decided to be a rabbi about halfway through college. I was double majoring in Mathematics and Education with the intention of becoming a high school math teacher. As I went through my courses, I realized I wasn’t as passionate about math as I thought I was. I knew education was important to me and I was deeply involved in my Jewish community, teaching religious school, songleading and tutoring. After some reflection, I decided that what I really wanted to do was continue working in the Jewish community, but from a place of deeper learning. I decided that rabbinical school would be my best path forward. I’m so glad I made that choice.

What things appeal to you most about being a congregational rabbi?

As a congregational rabbi I have the opportunity to work with all different kinds of people at all different stages of their lives. Every day is different and full of the incredible work of helping people find connections with each other, with community, and with something bigger than themselves. In a world so full of divisions, it is a privilege to be working towards connection.

Do you have a philosophy about your rabbinate or Reform Judaism you can share with us?

My philosophy for my rabbinate is to facilitate connection and help people find meaning in our rich tradition.

You enjoy listening to audio-books. What kinds of books appeal to you? Do you have any recommendations?

I like all kinds of books: mystery, historical fiction, psychology, memoir, anything that comes highly recommended. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed reading Dara Horn’s books, particularly her novels The World to Come, All Other Nights, and Eternal Life. I love the way she weaves together time, Jewish history, Jewish concepts, and modern experience.

Last but not least, what are your favorite Jewish holidays and foods?

I love all the Jewish holidays and how they flow together to make up the Jewish year. If I had to choose one, I’d pick one that we don’t talk about very much, Shavuot. On Shavuot we celebrate receiving Torah at Mount Sinai by staying up all night, studying together and eating cheese cake. I love it! There is nothing quite like the deep conversations you can have in the middle of the night with the other people who chose to stay and study that late.  

My favorite Jewish food is chicken soup in any form. I like it with matza balls, noodles, kreplach, veggies, chicken, even just the broth. I don’t think I could ever get tired of it.