Director of Jewish Programs

Chicago, IL

Although you live in the Chicago area now, you were born in the South and have lived in many cities in the region. What are some values or cultural aspects of Southern living you incorporate into your career as a rabbi? 

The first phrase that popped into my mind as I read this question was “Southern hospitality.” While it is certainly the case that many places are known for hospitality, in the South, it has a special quality. These include things like always greeting people with a smile, asking how they are, and listening to them. These qualities have been so important in my rabbinate, and I think that in our work at the One America Movement, the core idea of meeting people where they are is also essential.

You and your wife have a blended family. People often talk about blended families with a negative connotation, but what are some of the benefits and positive aspects you’ve experienced?  

I guess that I reject the premise of the question. While we may all be able to point to problematic blended families in our cultural heritage – I’m looking at you, Cinderella’s stepmother – the experiences that I have had both in my family and in working with other families are very positive. There is more love; there is more support; and there is more gratitude.

What made you decide to join the One America Movement team? 

During my time in the pulpit, we have gone through some pretty divisive experiences in America. While I have never thought of America as perfect, I have always held close the ideal of “E pluribus unum.” From the very founding of our country, we have held to the idea that the various groups within our country are not going to agree, but that we needed to be able to work through disagreements in order to move our country forward. Over the last thirty years, that is becoming harder and harder. As we fulfill the mission of the One America Movement, we’ll be able as a country to face those disagreements head-on and still see ourselves as “these United States.”