Rabbi Steph is drawn time and again to yirah, a concept in Biblical Hebrew translated as both fear and awe. In the Talmud (Shabbat 31b:1), Rav Yehuda teaches that God, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, created the world so that humanity could experience yirah. 

Jewish practice and tradition provide a set of well-honed spiritual tools to navigate the wilderness of life and find balance between fear and awe, uncertainty and serenity. This is the gift that Rabbi Steph received from her rabbis and hopes to return in kind to all whom she serves. 

Rabbi Steph currently serves as the Rabbi and spiritual leader for Temple Beth Shalom in Brigantine, NJ. She received ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in May 2024. During her rabbinic training, she served as the student rabbi for Bryn Mawr College Hillel and Kehilat HaNahar, a congregation in New Hope, PA. 

Rabbi Steph trained as a soferet with Dr. Jen Taylor Friedman and Izzy Pludwinski during her rabbinic training. As a soferet, she writes, repairs, and cares for sacred Jewish texts. She uses her sofrut and artistic skills to create ketubot for couples to sanctify, affirm, and ritualize their partnerships. 

Rabbi Steph is also a trained facilitator of the Jewish Studio Process, which blends text study and creative practice into a tool for exploration and meaning-making. She has facilitated this process for diverse groups, from college students to congregations to individuals in recovery.

Rabbi Steph inherited her creative practice from her mother, who taught her to draw sweet, vulnerable monsters and to use our imagination as a powerful tool for empathy and understanding. Today, her creative work engages many mediums, including printmaking and calligraphy.