Brant Rosen (born February 22, 1963) 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 t ...

and

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

ger, known for his pro-Palestinian activism.

Biography

Rosen is a native of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He is a graduate of the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

and the

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is a Jewish seminary in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. It is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Assoc ...

Career and activism

Rosen is the rabbi of

Tzedek Chicago Tzedek Chicago is a Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is one of the first synagogues in the United States to officially declare itself anti-Zionist. The congregation is led b ...

, an

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...

synagogue he founded in August 2015. Rosen previously served as the rabbi of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

from 1998 to 2014, when he resigned, citing increasing tension over his Palestine solidarity activism. After leaving JRC, Rosen became the Midwest Regional Director of the

American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends ('' Quaker)-founded'' organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by ...

, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

organization. In 2019, he left AFSC to serve Tzedek Chicago as its full time rabbi. Rosen is a former president of the

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) founded in 1974, is the professional association of rabbis affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It has approximately 300 members, most of whom are graduates of the Reconstructionist Rabbinica ...

and is the co-founder and co-chairperson of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. In 2009, he co-founded the Jewish Fast for

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

, or

Ta'anit A ta'anit or taynis (Biblical Hebrew ''taʿaniṯ'' or צוֹם ''ṣom'') is a fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water. Purposes A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including: * Atonement for si ...

Tzedek with Rabbi Brian Walt. Under his leadership, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation built their new building with an environmentally sustainable design in 2008, becoming the first house of worship to ever receive a Platinum rating by the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

. He was the recipient of ''Chicago'' Magazine's Green Award for his environmental leadership in 2009.

Writing

Rosen's blo
''Shalom Rav''
explores "the intersection between Judaism and social justice, with a particular emphasis on Israel/Palestine." In 2012, Just World Books published his book, "Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi's Path to Palestinian Solidarity," which featured his posts and numerous reader comments from ''Shalom Rav.'' Rosen is also the author of the blo
''Yedid Nefesh''
where he posts his poetry and thoughts on Judaism and spirituality. In 2018, Tzedek Chicago published his chapbook of original prayers
''"Songs After the Revolution: New Jewish Liturgy."''
He has contributed op-eds to ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...

'', ''

Truthout Truthout is an American Nonprofit organization, non-profit Progressivism in the United States, progressive news organization which describes itself as "dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social just ...

'', ''

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service that primarily covers Judaism- and Jewish-related topics and news. Described as the "Associated Press of the Jewish media", JTA serves Jewish and non-Jewish news ...

'', and other media outlets.

Awards

In 2008, Rosen was named one of the Top 25 Pulpit Rabbis in America by ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' magazine. In 2009 he was awarded the "Partner in Justice" Award by Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps and he received the "Inspiration for Hope Award" by the

in 2010 for his social justice activism in the Middle East.

References

External links

Shalom RavYedid NefeshAmerican Friends Service CommitteeTzedek ChicagoJewish Reconstructionist CongregationJust World Books' biography of Brant RosenKBCS Interview with Brant RosenWBEZ interview with Brant RosenTruthout Interview with Brant Rosen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosen, Brant 1963 births Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American rabbis American anti-racism activists American male bloggers American bloggers American male non-fiction writers American Reconstructionist rabbis Anti-Zionist rabbis Jewish American anti-racism activists Jewish American anti-Zionists American anti-Zionists Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish anti-war activists Jewish bloggers Presidents of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Reconstructionist Rabbinical College alumni Writers from Evanston, Illinois Writers from Los Angeles