Rabbi Jason Klein became the first openly gay man chosen to head a national rabbinical association of one of the major Jewish denominations in the United States in 2013, when he was chosen as president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.[2][3] He was also the first Hillel director to hold the presidency, the chief volunteer position of the organization.[4] As of his election as president, Klein was the executive director of Hillel at UMBC, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a post he held from 2006 until 2013.[5] He served as president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association for two years—until 2015.[4] As of July 2013 he became the Director of the Center for Jewish Life at JCP Downtown, the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan,[6] where he served until 2018.
Jason Gary Klein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jason Gary Klein May 14, 1975 |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Rabbi |
Beginning in 2018, Klein served on the clergy and executive team of Temple Israel, Minneapolis, as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Israel, Minneapolis.[7]
Since 2023, he has worked as the campus rabbi and Associate Chaplain of the University for the Jewish Community at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.[8]
Klein grew up in East Brunswick and Montclair, both in New Jersey, graduated from Columbia University in 1997, and was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2002.[5][4] He lives in the Mount Hope neighborhood of Providence.
Writing edit
- "Hanukkah" in A Guide to Jewish Practice: Volume 2 -- Shabbat and Holidays (Teutsch), 2014[9]
- "Parashat Bo" in Torah Queeries (Drinkwater et al.), 2009[10]
- "Queer Ritual on Campus" with Rabbi Mychal Copeland in The Hillel LGBTQ Resource Guide, 2007[11]
- "How I’m thinking about Hanukkah when Israel is at war — and campus tensions are high" for "Jewish Telegraphic Agency", 2023[12]
Teaching, media, and public appearances edit
References edit
- ^ "An Open Letter To Columbia/Barnard Hillel". Jewschool.com. November 22, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Gay Man Chosen to Lead U.S. Reconstructionist Rabbis". Haaretz. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Jason Klein Tapped To Lead Group of Reconstructionist Rabbis". Forward.com. March 12, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c Ginsberg, Johanna R. "NJ native to lead rabbinical association". Njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Major US Jewish group elects 1st openly gay rabbi". JPost.com. March 16, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Meet Rabbi Jason | JCP Downtown: Jewish Community Project". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Temple Israel | Minneapolis, MN". Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ "Chaplains and Religious Life". Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Guide to Jewish Practice: Shabbat and Holidays". Archive.rrc.edu. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Klein, Jason Gary (February 8, 2009). Drinkwater, Gregg; Lesser, Joshua (eds.). Torah Queeries. NYU Press. doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814720127.001.0001. ISBN 9780814785249 – via University Press Scholarship.
- ^ "The Hillel LGBTQ Resource guide" (PDF). Hillel.org. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "How I'm thinking about Hanukkah when Israel is at war — and campus tensions are high". jta.org. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ "Rabbi Jason Klein--RRA Greetings". Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "My Fellow American: Friendship Before Facebook". Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Torah Talk: Parshat Beshalach, with rabbi Jason Klein". Jewish Journal. January 28, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Park Avenue Podcast: Dialogue - Jennifer Stern Granowitz and Erin Beser: How We Talk About Judaism - December 17, 2020 on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved February 8, 2022.