Thursday, March 28, 2024 -
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Rabbi Mitchell Delcau named assistant rabbi at Emanuel

Mitchell R. Delcau is the new assistant rabbi at Congregation Emanuel.

He was ordained from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati on May 31.

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Rabbi Declau received a BS in civil engineering from Tennessee State University in 1994 and an MS in hydraulic engineering from CSU in 1997.

Prior to rabbinical school, he worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Bureau of Reclamation as a hydraulic engineer.

As part of his training at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Delcau spent two years as the student rabbi at Mt. Sinai Congregation in Texarkana, Texas. He then interned for two years at Adath Israel in Cincinnati.

He also served as the camp rabbi at Camp Livingston in Indiana and taught at local synagogues in Cincinnati.

Rabbi Delcau’s rabbinical thesis was titled, “Understanding the Role of Halachah in the Reform Movement: The Question of Personal Autonomy Versus Authority.”

It explores the influence that Halachah has had on the Reform movement in the 20th century through the lenses of three prominent thinkers of the Reform movement: Solomon B. Freehof, Jakob J. Petuchowski and W. Gunther Plaut.

Rabbi Delcau loves the outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, backpacking, camping and nature.

Aware that many people connect to Judaism through nature, he wants to integrate that connection into some aspects of worship, prayer and study.

He also loves music and plays the guitar.

Rabbi Delcau is married to Denver native Stacey Frishman Declau, a Jewish educator.

They have one daughter, Shira.




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