Rabbi May Ye is carving a path for a new generation of Jews.
Raised in a secular household, yet steeped in her paternal grandparents’ story of surviving the Holocaust, Ye was moved at an early age by the story of her grandfather’s vocal resistance to the establishment of Israel. Her political awakening was intertwined with coming into her own religious practice, and Ye went to rabbinical school in order to create communities for those Jews who are deconstructing the ethnonationalist ideology of Zionism.
Ye’s can be an isolating rabbinate. There are few institutional resources for antizionist synagogues, and Ye often faces animosity from within Jewish circles. Still, the rabbi has experienced profound community with Palestinians in the shared struggle for a free Palestine, and she expresses hope that one day, there will one day be an abundance of antizionist Jewish institutions.
Ultimately, she’s clear on one thing: Palestinians will set the terms of their own liberation. Her job is to be in solidarity.
About Rabbi Ye:
Rabbi May Ye (she/her) is a Chinese-American Jew from unceded Wabanaki land. A weaver of tradition and fashioner of new liturgy and ritual, she seeks to center and highlight the experiences of those who have been disenfranchised and marginalized from Judaism and Jewish spaces. A passionate activist, she explores how to decouple Judaism from Zionism and is an ardent supporter of Palestinian liberation.
Rabbi May is a 2023 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC). She currently lives and works on unceded Duwamish and Coast Salish land. She organizes with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and is honored to sit on JVP’s national rabbinical council. She also volunteers as a movement chaplain.
Learn more about Rabbi May and her work at www.rabbimay.com
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