Rabbi Julia Margolis was born in Moscow, USSR. At the age of 12 her family made Aliyah to Israel, where she completed high school and served as an educational officer in the army (IDF). In 2000 after her release from the IDF, she earned a bachelor´s degree from Ben Gurion University in Jewish History, Islam and Art. Rabbi Margolis then went on to complete her Master´s degree in Jewish Studies. She was raised in a family with deep roots in the Reform movement – her mother was the first Russian speaking female Rabbi in Israel.
Rabbi Margolis worked in the Reform movement in Israel and has represented the Reform movement all over the world. She has been involved with the Reform movement in South Africa since 2009. During her internship she worked as rabbinic assistant at Beit Emanuel, and since 2011 she has been working for SAUPJ in different synagogues as well as performing in life cycle events.
Rabbi Margolis’ Rabbinical thesis focuses on a book of Menachem Finkelstein “Proselytism – Halakhah and Practice”. She was ordained by the Abraham Geiger College, Germany in 2014. Rabbi Margolis is currently the only female Rabbi to hold office in South Africa. She is a member of the South African Association of Progressive Rabbis (SAAPR) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Rabbi Margolis is married to her husband Greg, and is the mother of two wonderful daughters, Emily (6) and new addition Victoria (1).
