About Me
Joshua R. S. Fixler is the Associate Rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas, where he has served since July of 2017. He also serves as the President of the Faith Leaders Coalition of Greater Houston and a steering committee member for the Religious Action Center of Texas (RAC-TX).
Rabbi Fixler received his rabbinic ordination in 2017 from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. In his final two years at HUC, he served as the Rabbinic Intern at Beth Haverim Shir Shalom in Mahwah, NJ. While at HUC, Joshua also completed a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from New York University.
Rabbi Fixler has been privileged to have participated in a number of leadership training programs which have contributed to his professional and spiritual growth, including the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the Tisch Rabbinical Fellowship.
Previously, Rabbi Fixler served as Rabbinic Intern for B’nai Israel Synagogue, in High Point, North Carolina; Summer Intern at Temple Micah in Washington, DC and at Temple Emanuel in Denver; and Senior Educator at Shwayder Camp, a Reform summer camp in Colorado. Before beginning his studies, Joshua served as the Assistant Educator and Youth Director for Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station, VA, and prior to that, as a Program Coordinator at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an interfaith social justice organization.
Joshua graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 with a degree in Organizational Development and Community Leadership. in 2021, his article, Mishpatim -- Stricken from the Text: Sacred Stories of Reproductive Justice, which he co-authored with Rabbi Emily Langowitz is featured in the Social Justice Torah Commentary from the CCAR Press.
Joshua is originally from Englewood, CO, a suburb of Denver. He now lives in Houston, TX with his wife and three daughters.
About My Logo
:עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ. וְתמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר
It is a tree of life for those who cling to it, and those who uphold it are happy. (Proverbs 3:18)
The Torah is our tree. It gives us roots, connecting us to what came before, and it grows with us as we reach towards the sky. My logo symbolizes this joy of Torah. I imagine that each dot in this tree of life is a piece of fruit that represents a different story. My vision for Jewish life is all about creating opportunities for each of us to share the stories that animate our lives and to connect to the stories of our people. Through sharing these sacred stories, we build Jewish communities with the power to change our lives and transform the world. What an honor it will be to harvest from the tree and share its fruitfulness in my future work as a rabbi!
My gratitude to ShirJoy Creative for designing this beautiful representation of my rabbinic vision.