Jay Michaelson is an American writer, journalist, professor, and rabbi. He is a visiting scholar at the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality and was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School in Spring 2025. Dr. Michaelson is a frequent commentator on CNN, and a contributor to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' and other publications, having been the legal affairs columnist at ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' for eight years. He is the author of ten books, and won the 2023 National Jewish Book Award for scholarship and the 2023 New York Society for Professional Journalists Award for Opinion Writing.
Journalism
Michaelson's journalistic work has focused on the intersections of religion and law. He has written on the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, the legal recognition of psychedelics,
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
issues'','' climate change,
antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
,
voter suppression
Voter suppression is the discouragement or prevention of specific groups of people from voting or registering to vote. It is distinguished from political campaigning in that campaigning attempts to change likely voting behavior by changing the o ...
, judicial nominations, and other subjects, and has been featured on
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
,
MSNBC
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
, and ''
Meet the Press
''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...
''.
In 2013, Michaelson wrote the first long-form report on the
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
religious exemptions movement, ''Redefining Religious Liberty: The Covert Campaign Against Civil Rights''. Michaelson's work on this issue gained prominence a year later after the
Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case and he has written many articles on religious liberty in
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' and other publications.
From 2004 to 2017, Michaelson was a columnist and contributing editor to ''
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 ...
'' newspaper. In 2009, his essay entitled "How I'm Losing My Love for Israel" generated substantial controversy in the Jewish world, including responses from
Daniel Gordis
Daniel Gordis (; born 1959) is an American-born Israeli author. He is Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College in Jerusalem, where he previously was Senior Vice President and Chair of the Core Curriculum.
Gordis is the author of a dozen books ...
, and
Jonathan Sarna, and prefigured the estrangement of progressive American Jews from the government of Israel. Michaelson was listed in the
Forward 50 list of the most influential American Jews in 2009.
Academic work
Michaelson's scholarly work in religious studies has focused on mystical experience, antinomianism, and sexuality. Michaelson holds a PhD in
Jewish Thought from
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
, where he wrote his dissertation on the
antinomian heretic
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.
Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...
Jacob Frank. His 2022 book on Frank, ''The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From
Jewish Messianism
The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jews. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or High Pries ...
to Esoteric Myth'', was published by
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
and won the National Jewish Book Award for scholarship. He was an affiliated assistant professor at
Chicago Theological Seminary
The Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is a Christian ecumenical American seminary located in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of several seminaries historically affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It is the oldest institution of higher e ...
and a visiting fellow at the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion and has held teaching positions at
Boston University Law School
The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a Private university, private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and ...
and
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
. Michaelson graduated from
Columbia College of
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1993, and from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
in 1997.
Since 2021, Michaelson's work has focused on the intersection of psychedelics, law, and religion. In March, 2025, he co-organized the first-ever conference on the legal recognition of religious psychedelic use in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. He has written and spoken widely on the religious significance of psychedelic practice in Judaism. Michaelson is an affiliated researcher of Harvard Law School's Program in Psychedelic Use, Law, and Spiritual Experience.
Michaelson's other academic work in religious studies includes "Queering
Martin Buber
Martin Buber (; , ; ; 8 February 1878 – 13 June 1965) was an Austrian-Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism centered on the distinction between the I and Thou, I–Thou relationship and the I� ...
:
Harry Hay's Erotic Dialogical" (Shofar, 2018), "Conceptualizing Jewish Antinomianism in the 'Words of the Lord' by Jacob Frank" (''
Modern Judaism'', 2017); "The Repersonalization of God:
Monism
Monism attributes oneness or singleness () to a concept, such as to existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished:
* Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., in Neoplatonis ...
and Theological Polymorphism in
Zohar
The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...
ic and
Hasidic
Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...
Imagination" (''Imagining the Jewish God'', 2016), "
Queer Theology and Social Transformation Twenty Years after Jesus ACTED UP" (Theology and Sexuality, 2015), and "Kabbalah and Queer Theology: Resources and Reservations" (Theology and Sexuality, 2012).
Michaelson is also the author of several legal-academic articles including "Rethinking Regulatory Reform: Toxics, Politics and Ethics" (''
Yale Law Journal
''The Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ) is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School. The journal is one ...
'', 1996), and "On Listening to the
Kulturkampf
In the history of Germany, the ''Kulturkampf'' (Cultural Struggle) was the seven-year political conflict (1871–1878) between the Catholic Church in Germany led by Pope Pius IX and the Kingdom of Prussia led by chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Th ...
, Or, How America Overruled ''
Bowers v. Hardwick'', Even Though ''
Romer v. Evans'' Didn’t" (''
Duke Law Journal
The ''Duke Law Journal'' is a student-run law review and the premier legal periodical of Duke University School of Law. The journal publishes general-interest articles and student notes in eight issues each year.
History and Overview
The journ ...
'', 2000). and "Hating the Law for Christian Reasons: The Religious Roots of American Antinomianism" (Jews and the Law, 2014). His 1998 ''
Stanford Environmental Law Journal'' article on
geoengineering and
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, described as "seminal" by
''Salon'' was the first legal analysis of geoengineering in legal academic literature.
Meditation and spirituality
Michaelson is an ordained rabbi, and teaches meditation in
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, Jewish, and secular contexts. His books on meditation and spirituality include ''Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment'' and ''Everything Is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism''. From 2018-22, he was a teacher, editor and podcast host a
Ten Percent Happier a meditation app and podcast network. He is also a teacher of ''
jhāna
In the oldest texts of Buddhism, ''dhyāna'' () or ''jhāna'' () is a component of the training of the mind ('' bhavana''), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions and "burn up" ...
'' meditation in the
Theravādan
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
lineage of
Ayya Khema and Michaelson's teacher Leigh Brasington and co-leads
Jewish meditation
Jewish meditation includes practices of settling the mind, introspection, visualization, emotional insight, contemplation of divine names, or concentration on philosophical, ethical or mystical ideas. Meditation may accompany unstructured, perso ...
retreats at the
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.
LGBTQ activism
Michaelson is a rabbi and openly gay. He was a professional religious LGBTQ activist from 2004 to 2013. He was the founder and executive director of
Nehirim'','' an LGBTQ Jewish organization, from 2004 to 2013. His 2009 book ''God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality'' was an Amazon bestseller and
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...
finalist, and Michaelson spoke at over 100 places of worship during the 2009–15 debates about
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. Michaelson was called one of the "Most Inspiring LGBT Religious Leaders" in 2011 by
''The Huffington Post'' and one of "Our Religious Allies" by the LGBT newspaper
''The Advocate''.
In 2014, Michaelson co-directed a project at The Daily Beast entitled ''Quorum: Global LGBT Voices'', which features
TED-style talks by LGBT leaders from the
Global South
Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
. Other LGBTQ-focused work includes the chapter on Exodus in the Queer Bible Commentary (2022).
Books
*''God in Your Body:
Kabbalah
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
, Mindfulness and Embodied Spiritual Practice'' (2006)
*''Another Word for Sky: Poems'' (2007)
*''Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism'' (2009)
*''God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality'' (2011)
*''Evolving
Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment'' (2013)
*''The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path'' (2015)
*''Is: Heretical Blessings and Poems'' (as Yaakov Moshe) (2017)
*''Enlightenment by Trial and Error'' (2019)
*''The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth''
(2022)
*''The Secret that is Not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales'' (forthcoming 2023)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaelson, Jay
1971 births
21st-century American rabbis
American male journalists
American male non-fiction writers
Boston University faculty
American gay writers
Jewish American journalists
Jewish American non-fiction writers
Gay Jews
Living people
HuffPost writers and columnists
American spiritual writers
Radical Faeries members
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Yale Law School alumni