Carole Meyers

Carole Meyers was a trailblazing rabbi who made history as the first female rabbi to lead a congregation full-time in Southern California. Her journey to the rabbinate began at a young age, sparked by personal loss and the comfort she found in the synagogue community. After experiencing the death of her father at 13 and her stepfather at 19, Meyers was drawn to the rituals and support of the Jewish community, which ultimately inspired her to pursue a career as a rabbi.

Meyers was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1983 and went on to serve as assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston for three years. In 1986, at the age of 29, she became the rabbi of Temple Sinai of Glendale, a position she held until her resignation in 2001. During her tenure, she made a lasting impact on her community. Meyers was married to Ralph Zarefsky and had two sons. She passed away in 2007 after a battle with bone cancer. A collection of her sermons, titled Leaning on God: Sermons by Rabbi Carole L. Meyers, was published posthumously in 2018, serving as a testament to her enduring legacy.