Jewish Institute for Lifelong Learning and Innovation

Rabbi Bass was an incredible person to work with throughout our wedding planning experience! From the beginning she was so welcoming, and encouraged my husband (who is not Jewish) and I to meet with her in person so that we could all get to know one another. Each meeting session we focused on different aspects of relationship building between my husband and I, in preparation for the ceremony that we decided on and built together. She was so open to what we wanted to do the day of the wedding, and patient in explaining and exploring that together. I really respect Rabbi Bass a lot, and appreciate her candor and warmth that shines through. She made our ceremony very special for us and our guests, and I would highly recommend her!

Rabbi Bass was a fantastic officiant for our wedding! She not only performed a beautiful wedding service and Ketubah signing, but was a joy to work with throughout the process. We were connected to Rabbi Bass through a family friend, and from the first time we met her, she made us feel comfortable and confident that we were in good hands. A few main qualities really stood out. First, Rabbi Bass went out of her way to be flexible and accommodating to our requests, particularly surrounding certain elements of the service we specially requested. Second, Rabbi Bass was always responsive, including with reviewing our Ketubah text and translating elements for us to include. Finally, Rabbi Bass is kind and personable, taking the time to connect with us and our families. The result was a memorable and meaningful experience on our wedding day. We highly recommend her!

Rabbi Bass married my husband and I in 2013. We had a wonderful experience with her! She was professional, compassionate, and thorough, and she made our wedding BEAUTIFUL!

We knew Rabbi Bass from a Synagogue where we had been a few times. We connected with her via email weeks before our wedding and arranged to meet in person for some planning. During our planning meeting, she spent time to get to know us as individuals and as a couple. She offered useful wisdom about marriage/relationships and familiarized us with Jewish customs surrounding weddings and the meaning behind them. We talked through what was relevant/important to my husband and I, and together we planned our ceremony to fit our preferences and include important traditions. Additionally, after getting to know us, Rabbi Bass made us a GORGEOUS Chuppah for our ceremony.

Our wedding day was beautiful - just as we had planned. Rabbi Bass married us in a most meaningful way, leading us though the rituals and traditions we had discussed under the Chuppah she had made. MAGICAL! A perfect day with our friends and family as witnesses to a monumental life cycle event personalized for my husband and me.

I would recommend Rabbi Bass to anyone who is looking for a compassionate, thorough, smart, and thoughtful leader who will take the time to get to know the couple and infuse your special day with meaning specific to you.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Rabbi Bass. She officiated several life cycle events in my family - always with incredible kindness, intelligence, creativity, warmth, and a beautiful singing voice on top of it. Incredibly knowledge about Jewish tradition, she is also very creative about making Judaism accessible and fun for my whole family. Every step of the way, I felt supported and nurtured - everything I could hope for and then some!

Rabbi Bass was such a wonderful part of our wedding; we couldn’t imagine having the ceremony without her. From the beginning, Lia was so helpful with counseling and with editing and improving the text of our custom-written ketubah. Rabbi Bass helped tailor our ceremony to accommodate our special requests. She even offered to help make our chuppah! When the day came, Lia was so helpful at managing our ketubah signing. Then, during the ceremony, Rabbi Bass was beautiful, personal, and heartfelt in her remarks. So thankful that she was a part of our wedding.

When Gay marriage became legal in Washington, DC, we decided that we would tie the knot at the Registrar's office. At this point Rabbi Bass had been our Rabbi for only a couple of years, and we were still just really getting to know her. When we told her about our marriage plans, she looked rather sad. When we asked why, she explained that she wanted to "marry us", rather than going to a stranger in a register office. We were absolutely thrilled, but at the same time concerned as she was licensed in VA and not DC. “Not a problem” she said, "I shall apply for my DC license," which she did. Lia basically took our hands and guided us through all of our wedding needs, spiritually and mentally. We could not have asked for a more perfect person to officiate our wedding, one of the most important days of our lives. She took care of all of our needs and the needs of our then 5 year old son, who was also part of our wedding celebration. Rabbi Bass is outstanding, caring and a perfectionist.
She truly made our big day, one that we shall remember forever, and for that we are eternally grateful.