William E. Kaufman (born December 28, 1938) is an American

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, philosopher,

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and author. His 1991 book, ''The Case for God'', was perhaps the first book written on Jewish process theology.

Early life and education

Kaufman was born on December 28, 1938, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He is the son of the late Harry Kaufman and Elizabeth (Slodovsky) Kaufman. He was a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

graduate of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1959 with an undergraduate major in philosophy. Kaufman was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1964. He received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in philosophy from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

in 1971. He received a Doctor of Divinity honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1990.

Rabbinic career and personal life

From 1964–1967 he was assistant rabbi at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1967 he assumed the rabbinical post at Congregation B’nai Israel in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...

, where he served until 1980. From 1980 to 1982 he was rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. In 1982 he was installed as rabbi at Temple Beth El in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, where he served until his retirement in November 2005. Upon his retirement, he was named rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth El. Kaufman is a member of the

Rabbinical Assembly The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, a ...

, the international rabbinical association of Conservative Judaism. Kaufman married the former Nathalie Ann Levin of Brookline, Massachusetts in 1965. They have a son, Ari, a daughter, Beth, and four grandchildren: Maisie, Josephine (Josie), Gabriel and Ryan.

Works

Kaufman has published many articles in ''Judaism'' (quarterly journal), ''Conservative Judaism'' (quarterly journal), ''The Reconstructionist'' (quarterly journal), and ''The Jewish Spectator'' (quarterly journal.) One of his projects has been to create a Jewish process theology, viewing Jewish theology through the

panentheistic Panentheism ("all in God", from the Greek grc, πᾶν, pân, all, label=none, grc, ἐν, en, in, label=none and grc, Θεός, Theós, God, label=none) is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends bey ...

process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.

Bibliography

* * * * * * * ''Metaphors for God: A Response'' Conservative Judaism (journal), Volume 51, No. 2, 1999, The Rabbinical Assembly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufman, William E. 1938 births Living people American Conservative rabbis Process theologians American Jewish theologians Philosophers of Judaism 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Boston University alumni Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni Jewish philosophers