By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line but that rule doesn’t always apply when it comes to finding one’s life work and a satisfying career.
Just ask Rabbi Vicki Seren Tuckman, who has been named only the third rabbi at Temple Micah since it was founded in 1969. The Princeton Township resident assumed the post of spiritual leader in July, after the resignation of Rabbi Ellen Greenspan.
Temple Micah, which meets monthly at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, is not officially affiliated with any of the movements within Judaism. It uses the liberal Reform movement’s prayer books, and its rabbis come from the Reform tradition, Rabbi Tuckman said.
The 43-year-old Rabbi Tuckman recalled that as a teenager, she loved to listen to the rabbi at her congregation when he offered his weekly sermon. She also remembers the comfort the rabbi offered when he led the shiva or religious service when one of her grandparents died.
Rabbi Tuckman said she thought that overall, the rabbi’s job was “cool,” and that she would like to follow in his footsteps. But female rabbis were virtually non-existent in her experience, so she dropped the idea.
”The idea of becoming a rabbi never went past that stage. I knew not one female rabbi,” she said.
Instead, Rabbi Tuckman enrolled at Syracuse University and earned bachelor’s degrees in broadcast journalism and English. She held a couple of internships at TV stations in New York City and Syracuse, but “it didn’t do it for me,” she said.
She took a job at a public relations firm in New York City, and also volunteered at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, working with patients and their families. Volunteering at the hospital “turned my life around,” she said. Helping people not writing press releases is what she wanted to do.
The next step was to find a job in education or a related field where she could help people. That’s what led her to the Princeton Center for Leadership Training and the position of director of Gesher L’Kesher, which is a peer leadership program for Jewish high school youth.
That is also where Rabbi Tuckman first met some female rabbis. It occurred to her that women could become ordained as rabbis.
”I had to figure out how to find a career where I was doing something good. The thing I loved most was helping people. I loved Gesher L’Kesher. I became friends with some female rabbis. It just all came together. I spoke to my rabbi and he encouraged me (to attend rabbinical school),” she said.
Rabbi Tuckman enrolled in the rabbinical program at Hebrew Union College-The Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She completed her studies and earned her degree in 2003.
Upon graduation, Rabbi Tuckman held positions in numerous Jewish congregations in Mercer County assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, interim rabbi at String of Pearls Congregation in Princeton Township, and teacher and curriculum writer for Congregation Har Sinai in Hopewell Township.
”Teaching and education are my passion for the rabbinate. The heart of what I do is teaching,” she said whether it is leading religious services or officiating at a wedding. She said she tries to “bring the text of Judaism to life.”
Rabbi Tuckman was not looking for a job when she was contacted by Temple Micah congregant Bob Pollack. He told her that the 160-family congregation was seeking a new rabbi because of Rabbi Greenspan’s resignation.
”I was a few hours away from leaving on a 12-day trip to Israel when he called. I wasn’t looking for a job. I had to look for my resume. After a few conversations, I was intrigued. After my first interview, I loved Temple Micah. It is everything that I had heard about it,” she said.
Temple Micah is a unique place, Rabbi Tuckman said. It has carved out its own niche. Its mission is to help people realize their connection to Judaism and to help them create their own path to it, she said. There are many different paths to enjoy Judaism, she added.
Rabbi Tuckman described her new congregational home as “a very warm, welcoming place” for everyone, including interfaith families. Temple Micah is very comfortable with its identity, she said.
”What sets Temple Micah apart is that they are very intentional as to who they are (and) how they want to create access to Judaism for people who want it. My desire is not to change (Temple Micah) into anything else. My goal is to enhance who they are,” Rabbi Tuckman said.
The rabbi said she sees her role as being available to help the congregants become “reflective, modern Jews.” She said she teaches from the Reform Jewish tradition, and that she wants to help the congregants understand the role of Judaism in their lives.
”It is incumbent on individuals to understand Judaism. My hope is to help people realize its role in their lives. I care about teaching people,” Rabbi Tuckman said.

