Campus Closures due to Hurricane Milton. Learn more.
Rabbi Laila Haas
Rabbi Laila Haas
A talented teacher and an innovative leader, Rabbi Haas brings to Temple Beth El a passion for Jewish life and a broad range of rabbinic experience. Ordained by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2011, Rabbi Haas spent the first seven years of her career as the Associate Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham, Alabama. During her tenure there, Rabbi Haas built a robust adult-education program, established an innovative process for engaging new members, and leveraged her creativity in Temple programming and strategic planning. In addition, she founded “The Discovery School” – Temple Emanu-El’s preschool which grew to more than 90 students in just its second year. She also helped to develop and implement an innovative curriculum for their religious school.
Since 2018, Rabbi Haas has served as Director of Adult Learning and Growth for the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education in Miami. There she created a new strategic vision for adult learning and growth for the entire Miami Jewish community, helping to grow attendance by more than 20 percent each year. She led her agency’s response to the COVID pandemic, quickly pivoting to provide learning and engagement opportunities online, providing a vital lifeline to hundreds of people suffering from loneliness.
A native of Miami Beach, Rabbi Haas graduated from the University of Miami, and also earned a Masters of Educational Administration from Xavier University.
Blogs By This Author
Shabbat Message
Yield To Joy: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
Over the past few months, I’ve participated in a new ritual to welcome Rosh Chodesh, the celebration of the new month. I stand (virtually) at the Kotel, the Western Wall, in Jerusalem. I pull up the Kotel livestream on my computer, recite the blessing and a prayer for the new
February 28, 2025
Shabbat Message
A Shabbat of Thanksgiving: The Practice of Gratitude: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
Every spiritual tradition acknowledges that how we begin our day matters. In Judaism, the first words we utter upon opening our eyes are: מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶׁהֶחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ Modeh ah-nee lifanecha, Melech chai v’kayam, she-hechezarta bee nishma-tee b’chemlah rabbah emunatecha. Thank you, living
November 29, 2024
Shabbat Message
Stand With Israel: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
This week’s Torah portion, Noach, opens with the story of the great flood. God looked upon the earth and saw it was corrupt and filled with lawlessness. God decided to purify the earth and begin anew. God calls upon Noah, the righteous one of his generation, to build an ark,
November 1, 2024
Shabbat Message
Teshuvah: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
The midrash that teaches, “before God created the world, God created teshuvah as a foundation for the world to stand upon.” Teshuvah is an important source of stability for our own lives. The world we create through our actions, our words and our presence is built upon teshuvah, the ability
September 27, 2024
Shabbat Message
May Your Eyes Shine with the Light of the Torah: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
In this week’s Torah portion, Balak, king of the Moabites, is fearful of the Israelites’ strength and numbers. He sends for Balaam the Prophet to curse the Israelites. Balaam’s journey to meet Balak and perform his job is derailed by a talking donkey and a messenger of God. God speaks
July 19, 2024
Shabbat Message
Sefer Bamidbar: Shabbat Message by Rabbi Laila Haas
This week, we open a new book of Torah, Sefer Bamidbar. The Parshah begins with God’s instruction to Moses, “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel.” The Zohar, from the Kabbalistic tradition, teaches, “the final count of Israelites in the census — 603,550 — totals the number of
June 7, 2024
