Rabbi Haviva Ner-David
Haviva Ner-David is a writer and rabbi. In 2006 she became the first woman to publicly receive Orthodox rabbinic ordination, only to leave Orthodoxy and call herself a post-denominational rabbi. Ten years later, she received interfaith ordination from the One Spirit Interfaith-Interspiritual Seminary and now goes by post-denominational inter-spiritual rabbi.
She writes both fiction and non-fiction and is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs, two novels, a children’s book, short stories, essays, a blog on Times of Israel, scholarly articles and a guidebook for engaged couples due out in 2024. Her short story, “Blame,” won the 2016 Lilith Magazine short fiction contest.
Link to short story.
Her rabbinic specialties are spiritual companionship, water immersion rituals, wedding and marriage preparation, coming of age ceremonies and other ritual and ceremony creation and innovation. Founding rabbi of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body and Soul on Kibbutz Hannaton in the Lower Galilee, she officiates and helps create on-site personalized immersion ritual ceremonies and facilitates group mikveh workshops. As a spiritual companion, she works with individuals and couples and specializes in *dreamwork, inner child work and nature soul work, as well as general sacred listening.
Interview: Rabbi Haviva on the Jewish Women’s Archive
Photo credit: Carmel Avivi
Spiritual Companionship
Ordained as both a rabbi and an interfaith minister, Haviva is also a certified spiritual companion with special training in dreamwork, inner child work and nature soul work. A strong believer in following the heart and living from the soul to create one’s unique spiritual journey, Haviva works with individuals and couples, including but not only many rabbis and rabbinical students.
Mikveh
Haviva is the founding rabbi of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body and Soul on Kibbutz Hannaton, where she officiates and helps clients create individualized full body ritual immersion ceremonies and facilitates group workshops. Shmaya is the only mikveh (ritual immersion pool) in Israel open to everyone to immerse when and as they choose.
Books
Rabbi Haviva is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Her books include two published spiritual journey memoirs and one on the way, a book to help prepare couples for their marriage and wedding, and one novel.
