Rabbi Joyce M. Olum-Galaski of Florence, MA passed away peacefully on November 14, 2021 after a long illness. She was 72.

Joyce was born in Princeton, NJ on March 14, 1949, the daughter of Paul and Vivian (Goldstein) Olum. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister Judith Lightfoote. She is survived by her loving husband, Philippe Galaski, brother Ken Olum of Sharon, MA, and her three daughters and their families: Rebecca Ó Murchadha, Aongus Ó Murchadha, Úna (9) and Conall (6) of Arlington, MA; Deborah Barer, Rabbi Benjamin Barer, Mira (2) and Adin (3 months) of Washington DC; and Aviva Galaski of Holyoke, MA.

After growing up in Ithaca, NY, Joyce attended Swarthmore College and got her Masters in Education at UMass Amherst before eventually deciding to pursue the rabbinate and attending the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Throughout her life, Rabbi Joyce was a committed advocate for justice, working with Interns for Peace in Jerusalem, taking on a leading role in Jews Against Genocide in Bosnia, helping to found T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and working with the Physicians for Social Responsibility campaign for nuclear disarmament “Back from the Brink”.

She was the Rabbi for Congregation Achavas Achim in Westfield MA and the WSU Jewish Chaplain until her retirement. She was a member of the JCA and CBI congregations and of Havurat HaEmek. Joyce was an avid hiker and outdoor adventurer who loved poetry, traditional Irish music, and Appalachian folk ballads. The funeral will be held at the JCA Cemetery on Wednesday, November 17 at 10AM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Joyce’s honor to T’ruah (https://truah.org).

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com