Etan Mintz 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 ...

, activist, writer, and the spiritual leader of the historic

B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore) B'nai Israel Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the historic Jonestown neighborhood, near downtown and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The synagogue is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, the oldest continually active synagogue in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and one of the oldest standing synagogues in America. Mintz is an active proponent of Jewish inclusivity. He is a nationally sought speaker, writer, and educator. In response to the

2015 Baltimore protests On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Ap ...

after the shooting of Freddie Gray, Mintz led a multiracial, interfaith group of clergy to increase community cooperation in Baltimore. Rabbi Mintz has advocated for strengthening racial relations and has advocated for a more welcoming and inclusive vision of

Modern Orthodox Judaism Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to Torah Umadda#Synthesis, synthesize Jewish principles of faith, Jewish values and the halakha, observance of Jewish law with t ...

. Mintz received his rabbinical ordination from the

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

, and studied for two years at Yeshivat Sha'alavim in Israel. He also holds an M.P.A. degree from the

Kennedy School The Kennedy School, originally the John D. Kennedy Elementary School, is a former elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment in northeast Portland, Oregon. The facility is operated by the McMena ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and a master's degree in Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism from the

Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies was Yeshiva University’s first graduate school. Founded in 1937, it was named for Yeshiva University's first president, Bernard Revel, upon his death in 1940. Its curriculum prepares highly train ...

. Before becoming the rabbi of B'nai Israel, he was an associate rabbi at the Hebrew Institute in

Riverdale, NY Riverdale is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Riverdale, which had a population of 47,850 as of the 2000 United States Census, contains the city's northernmost point at the Colle ...

, under the leadership of Rabbi

Avi Weiss Avraham Haim Yosef haCohen Weiss (; born June 24, 1944) is an American Open Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who led the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in The Bronx, New York until 2015. He is the founder of Yeshi ...

. He taught at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

, and has served as a rabbi during the summer months at The Hampton Synagogue in

Westhampton Beach, New York Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721. History Westhampton Beach Village ...

. He has also served on the Bioethics Committee of

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Dr. Tammy Mintz, and their six children.

References

Amid Baltimore strife, one rabbi finds hopeSynagogue looks to create eruv downtown
*http://jewishtimes.com/events/the-hasidic-masters-part-one-with-rabbi-etan-mintz-2016-11-22/ *http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2016/1/12/wedding-traditions-across-the-abrahamic-faiths
Hopkins business students put their skills to work in one of Baltimore 's oldest neighborhoods
*http://forward.com/opinion/311584/why-i-said-kaddish-for-churchgoers-in-charleston/
Baltimore Jews join Freddie Gray protests – but it's complicated
*http://jewishtimes.com/31760/downtown-tribe/news/ *https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/05/05/why-a-bunch-of-rabbis-went-to-baltimore-to-protest-and-pray/ *http://www.yctorah.org/about/jewish-leadership-advisory-board/ *https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/travel/glimmers-of-jewish-glory-days-in-baltimore.html *https://www.cjebaltimore.org/board {{DEFAULTSORT:Mintz, Etan American Orthodox rabbis Living people Harvard Kennedy School alumni Modern Orthodox rabbis Yeshiva University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American rabbis