Pamela Jay Gottfried is a rabbi, parent, teacher, and author. An inveterate Scrabble player and New York Times Crossword Puzzle fanatic, she credits her love of words to her third grade teacher and her parents, who encouraged her to develop her vocabulary through reading and using the dictionary at an early age. Rabbi Gottfried is a New York City native who moved to Atlanta in 1999. Her areas of expertise include rabbinic literature and the development of Jewish law. Since her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1993, she has taught students of all ages in churches, colleges, community centers, schools, and synagogues.
Rabbi Gottfried balances her love of writing with her work as a potter, fostering her creativity in a tactile world removed from the computer and Internet. She is also a founding member of 100 People of Faith, in Atlanta, and is active in several non-profit organizations that foster interfaith relations and the elimination of prejudice and poverty.