Funny, You Don't Look Like a Rabbi: A Memoir of Unorthodox Transformation

At the age of fifty, Lynnda Targan was an accomplished public relations professional, journalist and happily married mother of two. But deep down, she felt called to a different path. The child of secular, divorced parents, she had grown up in the nurturing enclave of her grandparents' close-knit, Orthodox Jewish community, but drifted away from the rituals of her faith. Now, as an adult, she found herself being drawn back to Judaism--and rediscovering the beauty and resonance of its history, its remarkable texts and teachings, and its powerful code for living in the modern world.

Targan's memoir tells the story of her surprising transformation from successful working mom to spiritual seeker and Jewish scholar, and chronicles her quest to reinvent herself in midlife to become a rabbi, a choice that for generations was open only to men. Initially met with skepticism, Targan persevered, becoming an ordained rabbi in 2003. Now a beloved leader in her community, Targan shows that it is never too late to find your true calling and step into your power--no matter what your age

Rabbi Lynnda Targan was ordained by the Academy for Jewish Religion in Riverdale, New York, in 2003 after earning master degrees in Jewish Communal Studies and Jewish Liberal Studies from Gratz College. Before assuming the path to the rabbinate, she was a journalist, oral historian, and the president of LT Communications, which facilitated public relations and marketing campaigns for professionals, non-profits and small businesses. Several years ago she co-founded the Women's Midrash Institute to provide a setting for women and men to study Jewish texts in a context that encourages feminist inquiry and spiritual reflection. She sits on the executive board of Women of Vision, a division of Women's Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, is a member of the National Council of Jewish Women, and a Life- Member of Hadassah. A sought-after teacher and speaker, she officiates regularly at public and private lifecycle events. Rabbi Targan is a member of the Board of Rabbis in New York and in Philadelphia and she lives between both cities with her husband Larry Targan. The couple have two married children and two grandchildren.