Priesand, Rabbi Sally J.: - Sally J. Priesand, North America's first female rabbi, was ordained in June, 1972, by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following ordination, she served for seven years at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City and for two years at Temple Beth El in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In 1981, she became Rabbi of Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, becoming Rabbi Emerita upon her retirement in 2006. Nationally, she has served on the Executive Board of both the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism. She also served as a member of the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR, as President of the Rabbinic Alumni Association, and for three years as editor of the CCAR Newsletter. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rabbi Priesand lives in Ocean Township, New Jersey, with her Boston Terrier Zeke. She is a contributor to many books, including The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate, a winner of the National Jewish Book Award. She also enjoys speaking to congregations around the country, telling her story and that of Regina Jonas, the world's first woman rabbi.