Beth Margolis Rupp, a Jewish Chestnut Hill resident who lived amicably in Abu Dhabi, an Arab city-state in the Middle East, for 10 years, is stepping down after seven years as executive director of Folkshul, a “non-religious Jewish organization” whose home has been at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy for 20 years and at Germantown Friends School for 30 years before that.

Folkshul is a secular, humanistic Jewish community that works on social justice issues. It has about 150 members who embrace “the interconnected-ness of Jewish values and traditions.” It has a Sunday School with family education in a non-religious setting. Its members are culturally Jewish but may also identify as agnostic, atheist, interfaith, LGBTQ, freethinkers, etc. Since it is not based on God, Folkshul is outside the mainstream Jewish community.

Rupp has a long history of working in social justice, including with the Anti-Defamation League and at Gratz College, a Jewish school in Melrose Park, where she taught the subject. She is also co-author of two books that tackle the concept of tolerance: “Last Boy Picked: Surviving Boyhood and Bullying” (2014) and “A World of Difference,” which is a school curriculum for teaching multiculturalism.

“I am not retiring,” Rupp told the Local last week. “I am just tired, and I need to refuel. I am passing the torch. ... I would like to say that Springside has been an amazing host. They’ve been a welcome force for us. My last day teaching will be May 17, and I will work until June 30, but I will still be involved with Folkshul after that. It’s been a great honor to be able to do this work. I adore these children and adults, too.”

Rebecca Schwartz has been named as Rupp’s successor. She will begin July 1, working with Rupp during a transition period until then.

Rupp, who grew up in Wynnefield, earned a master’s degree in education at Wheelock College in Brookline, Mass., and was a teacher and school administrator before taking the position with Folkshul. She lived in Abu Dhabi for 10 years because her architect husband, David Rupp, had been hired to consult on the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. He was later commissioned to build the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a replica of the Paris museum that opened to the public in 2019.

Abu Dhabi, one of seven semi-autonomous city-states that make up the United Arab Emirates, sits on about one-tenth of the world’s oil. It is one of the richest cities in the world.

While living there, Rupp worked in the American Community School and founded a series of workshops, “Living and Learning in the Middle East.” She also consulted with New York University, which has a satellite school there, and was a research associate for the Institute for International and Civil Society.

“Living in the Middle East made an indelible mark on how to navigate and appreciate diversity,” Rupp said. “It shaped my Jewish view of the world. Our value is to care for the most vulnerable people. I’ve been to Qatar and Kuwait and have close friends in Lebanon who are Christian and Muslim.

“Our theme at Folkshul this year is ‘Roots.’ Take care of mother earth and our ancestors, the earth and all of its inhabitants. We will have a program for Earth Day and for Holocaust remembrance,” Rupp said. “Another theme is to be clear about your intentions. It’s not enough to want to do good. The task of repair is so large that some people never start, but our imperative is to help fix the world. Bring love and respect to the world. I’m not a therapist or rabbi, but I use Jewish thinking and practice. Jewish people are committed to justice. Our members are encouraged to lead and hold each other responsible.”

One issue Folkshul and almost every other Jewish organization has had to confront in recent years is violent, even fatal, antisemitic attacks. For example, Folkshul has stopped doing social media.

“We stopped doing ‘table-ing’” (having tables at public events where literature about the organization is available) “because of the current climate,” Rupp said. “Being in public is harder now. We have a robust safety and security program.”

One issue that has divided Jewish communities all over the country since Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, has been the response by the Israeli military that has left tens of thousands of civilians dead in Gaza and Lebanon.

“There has been an internal fracture in many Jewish communities after Oct. 7,” Rupp said. “We (at Folkshul) are able to disagree, though. We did not fracture. We have an Israel/Palestinian group. We deal with how we embrace all of this. Our members are active in their community. They walk the walk.”

For more information, visit folkshul.org. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.