William Harry Lebeau (born 1938) is an American

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 ...

, former Dean of The Rabbinical School, Vice Chancellor and Chairman of the Department of Professional Skills, and Lecturer of Professional Skills at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America of Conservative Judaism in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Early life

Rabbi Lebeau was born in Ohio in 1938. He was raised in

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

and graduated from

Buchtel High School John R. Buchtel Community Learning Center, formerly known as John R. Buchtel High School and often referred to as Buchtel High School or Buchtel CLC, is a public high school in Akron, Ohio, United States, serving grades 7–12. It is one of seven ...

in 1955. Rabbi Lebeau was ordained at JTS in 1964, having earned his bachelor's degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 1959 and a master's degree from JTS in Jewish studies in 1962. Rabbi Lebeau and his wife, Beverly, have five children and fourteen grandchildren.

Career

Lebeau stepped down at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) on July 1, 2007."Rabbi William Lebeau to Retire on July 1, 2007"
Jewish Theological Seminary of America press release dated June 30, 2006. Accessed May 29, 2007. He was succeeded by Rabbi

Daniel S. Nevins Daniel S. ("Danny") Nevins (born March 18, 1966) is an American rabbi and a leader in the Conservative Judaism, Conservative Movement who is head of school at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ On January 29, 2007, Rabbi Nevins was named the Dean ...

. During his tenure as Dean, Rabbi Lebeau expanded enrollment in The Rabbinical School.Rabbi William H. Lebeau
Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Accessed May 29, 2007., Lebeau started his career at JTS in 1988 as Vice Chancellor for Rabbinic Development, and served two stints as dean of The Rabbinical School, from 1993-1999 and since June 2002. He has been an advocate for students studying in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as part of their rabbinic training. Rabbi Lebeau has also written on the subject of rabbinic training, including ''On Becoming a Conservative Rabbi''.Lebeau, William H
"Rabbinic education for the 21st century"
''Shma'', January 2003. Accessed May 29, 2007. As a congregational rabbi, he served three communities over a period of 24 years, beginning with two years as a chaplain in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

. His first pulpit position was in

Port Jefferson Station, New York Port Jefferson Station is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, in Suffolk County, in New York, United States. The population was 7,838 as of the 2010 census. History The area now known as Port Jefferson Station w ...

, where he grew the congregation from 50 to 750 members during his 13-year tenure. He later served for ten years as the rabbi of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, Illinois before joining the JTS faculty. Rabbi Lebeau was also a race car driver for a short period of time, due to a birthday gift from a close friend that supported the cost of driving school, and helped Rabbi Lebeau fulfill a dream of his. He placed second in a race, losing narrowly to a professional race car driver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebeau, William H. American Conservative rabbis Rabbis in the military Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Living people Jewish American military personnel 1938 births 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis