Rita Sherwin received her BA in English at Case Western Reserve University and her MA in Hebrew Letters at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She has served as rabbi of Temple Israel since 1992. She teaches a class in the Religious Studies department at Missouri State University, works as a chaplain at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, is a member of the board of the AIDS Project of the Ozarks, and is active in the interfaith community.