Rabbi Annalisa Stryer

Publications

The following list, though not exhaustive, contains a selection of papers and articles available outside this website.

Rabbinic Thesis

In my fifth and final year at HUC-JIR, I had the chance to weave together my fascination with American Jewish liturgy and my passion for exploring the American Jewish military experience. The result was “‘In a Pocket over the Heart’: A Liturgical Examination of Prayer Books for Jews Serving in the United States Armed Forces.”

The two faculty advisers with whom it was my honor to work, Rabbi Gary P. Zola, Ph.D., and Rabbi Richard Sarason, Ph.D., gave me the gift of their expertise, insight, and encouragement throughout the process of researching, analyzing, and writing this culminating project of my rabbinic studies.

Abstract

Since its founding in 1917, the Jewish Welfare Board (today known as JWB Jewish Chaplains Council) has sought to meet the religious needs of Jewish personnel serving in the United States Armed Forces. Serving a military population that reflects the denominational diversity of the broader American Jewish community requires an unparalleled degree of cooperation between representatives of the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements—which, over the past century, has extended to intermovement collaboration on prayer books. By examining the liturgy (with an emphasis on the Shabbat worship services) of five distinct “generations” of JWB prayer books for American Jews in uniform over the past century, we attempt to shed light on some of the factors and trends in American Jewish liturgy that have shaped each effort to facilitate prayer for service members facing the challenges of military life.

Annalisa Grimes Stryer, “‘In a Pocket over the Heart’: A Liturgical Examination of Prayer Books for Jews Serving in the United States Armed Forces” (Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 2021), iii.

Textual Commentary

There are 929 chapters in Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), and 929 English explores each chapter through commentary, interpretation, and discussion. I contributed a reflection on Joshua 4 during the first cycle, which began in 2018 and concluded in 2022.

Fellowship Reflections

As a Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Fellow during my studies at HUC-JIR, I had the opportunity to gain practical work experience in a variety of community settings to complement my academic pursuits. I wrote about two of my experience for Sacred Service Learning, a website dedicated to the work of TJF Fellows.

Military Interest

As a Navy spouse and a rabbi, I feel called to advocate for service members and their families (Jewish or otherwise).