RavKlein's profile
Stop posting, start fixing the world. Rabbi Jonathan Klein has served as the Executive Director for CLUE-LA since 2009. Prior to his ordination in 1997 from Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Klein served congregations in Flagstaff, Arizona and Rye, New York. Upon receiving his rabbinical degree, he served three years as Director of KESHER, the Reform Jewish Movement's college outreach program and then eight years as the Allen and Ruth Ziegler Rabbinic Director of USC Hillel at the University of Southern California. After deep soul-searching and reflecting upon his experiences of bussing, his family's financial struggle, and his brother's life with Down's Syndrome, Rabbi Klein decided to unite the disparate experiences of his ILGWU-shop steward-grandmother Sophie Klein and his multigenerational ancestry into his work as a religious community organizer. Prior to his role at CLUE-LA, Rabbi Klein served on the staff of Progressive Jewish Alliance (now Bend the Arc). He is particularly proud of-and nostalgic for-his first job in the organization, as a Community Organizer. Rabbi Klein currently serves on the boards of the ACLU of Southern California, the anti-war Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP), as co-chair of PATH's faith-based Our Faith Matters, and also on the boards of Shamayim V'Aretz (a national Jewish Vegan/Animal Welfare group) and also the statewide CLUE-California. As an animal rights activist, Rabbi Klein co-founded Faith Action for Animals, which organizes faith leaders to actively protect animals from human speciesism. An ardent environmentalist, Rabbi Klein has served as a boardmember of the Coalition on the Environment in Jewish Life (COEJL-SC), as a member of the Environmental Commission of former Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass, and the Environmental Initiatives Committee of the Tel Aviv/Los Angeles Partnership. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and on the executive boards of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis and Jews Against the War. Rabbi Klein is a songleader, music enthusiast, and lover of Jewish mysticism. He is the proud parent of his 14 year-old son Rachmiel, 12 year-old daughter Kinneret, and seven year-old daughter, Zimra.
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