Chelsea’s Bio

Across Brooklyn and beyond, Chelsea Simon is a scholar, educator, and musician who nourishes her insatiable curiosity by diving into Jewish history, thought, and archives. Her areas of academic focus include Second Temple Jewish History, Christian-Jewish relations, Hellenistic philosophy, Rabbinic Literature (with a focus on women), and the history of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. A Ph.D. candidate at HUC-JIR, Chelsea will soon present her dissertation about the rabbinic treatment of Genesis’ secondary wives (Bilhah, Hagar, Keturah, and Zilpah) in Genesis Rabbah (an amoraic midrash). She derives joy from Yiddish culture, musical expression including playing instruments, dancing, and singing, and hosting meals and events. Chelsea hopes to use her Ph.D. and Religious Education training to design and offer interactive educational opportunities, create space for new ideas and collaborations to take root, and contribute to an expansive Jewish future.