Installation of Rabbi Rachel Simmons: 
A Celebration of Partnership, Transition, and Community


Temple Beth El invites you to share in the simcha of the formal Installation of Rabbi Rachel Simmons as our rabbi and spiritual leader. Our congregation is filled with gratitude and excitement as we celebrate this moment, which marks not only the beginning of Rabbi Simmons’s leadership but also a renewal of our collective commitment to Jewish life, learning, and community connection. 


What is an installation? It is a celebration of the sacred partnership between a rabbi and a congregation, honoring a synagogue’s past, present, and future by marking a new phase of leadership and sharing our hopes for what is to come. We’ll symbolically pass the torch from our past presidents to Rabbi Simmons and take a moment to reflect on who we are and where we’re going as a community. The installation service will also feature songs performed by KBE students.


The event will take place on December 17 at 5:30 pm at Temple Beth El in Portland (400 Deering Avenue), with the Annual Chanukah Party immediately following. Please join us as we come together with our community for latkes, live music, candle lighting, and a celebration of our new rabbi.


We look forward to seeing you at this special occasion!

You can help us make this a meaningful and successful event:


  1. RSVPs are strongly encouraged to ensure we have enough latkes! Please RSVP here.
  2. Volunteer and help make the event a success! Stay tuned for more information and sign-ups coming soon.
  3. Celebrate this special moment with a donation to Temple Beth El. If you’re interested in joining the Host Committee, becoming a business sponsor, or making a donation, you can sign up here.


We’re compiling a commemorative program to wish Rabbi Simmons and TBE mazal tov on this amazing occasion, where donors and sponsors will be highlighted. All proceeds will support Shalom Community Park and the TBE Operating Fund.

About Rabbi Rachel Simmons


Rabbi Rachel A. Simmons was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, California, in spring 2022. From graduation until June 2025, they served as the associate rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Maryland. They started serving as rabbi of Temple Beth El in July 2025.


Originally hailing from Alexandria, Virginia, Rabbi Simmons completed their undergraduate studies in 2009 with a distinction of magna cum laude from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a dual degree in linguistics and German studies. Following the completion of their BA, they spent several years living abroad in Germany, Austria, Costa Rica, and Israel. They speak German and Spanish, play guitar and piano, and before entering seminary, worked as a preschool teacher at the DC Jewish Community Center.


Rabbi Simmons finds great joy in leading prayer, providing pastoral care, and developing personal connections to Jewish rituals. They believe it is crucial to identify core communal values and help each other live by them as an embodiment of the Jewish teaching "And you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)


In their free time, you can find Rabbi Simmons doing yoga, painting, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, cooking, and hanging out with their three rescue cats, Kohelet, Galilee, and Musaf.