Lance J. Sussman
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Lance Jonathan Sussman (born July 17, 1954) is a historian of American Jewish History, college professor, Chair of the Board of Governors of
Gratz College Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (es ...
,
Melrose Park, PA Melrose Park is an unincorporated section of Cheltenham Township on the Philadelphia city line in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, It is bordered to the south by Cheltenham Avenue, to the west by Old York Road, to the east by New Second Stree ...
and until summer 2022 the senior rabbi, now emeritus, at
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, abbreviated as KI, is a Reform Judaism, Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, Elkins Park, just outside the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in ...
(KI) located in
Elkins Park, PA Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the northern suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which it borders along Cheltenham Avenue rough ...
. He is the author of books and articles including: ''
Isaac Leeser Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American Orthodox Jewish religious leader, teacher, scholar and publisher. He helped found the Jewish press of America, produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, ...
and the Making of American Judaism'' (1995) and ''Sharing Sacred Moments'' (1999), and a co-editor of ''Reform Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook'' (1993) and ''New Essays in American Jewish History'' (2009). Since 2010 he has also published articles on
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
and art.


Early life, family and education

Lance Jonathan Sussman was born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in suburban Pikesville, Maryland. His father, Charles Sussman (1925–2010), was awarded a
bronze star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
and other decorations for valor during World War II while serving in the 95th Infantry Division. After the war he was a teacher and an administrator in the
Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools is the school district in charge of all public schools in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is the 25th largest school system in the US as of 2013. The school system is managed by the board of educatio ...
. His mother, Freda Sacki Sussman, was born in Bamberg, Germany in 1925. She fled Nazi Germany and resettled in the United States in 1938 and her family escaped the following year. Sussman married Elizabeth "Liz" Sussman (née Zeller) on August 6, 1977 in Rye, New York. She has had a career as both a Jewish educator and a music educator. They have five children and two grandchildren. Sussman also has a sister Marcelle who is a journalist. In 1972, Sussman graduated from Pikesville Senior High School where in addition to his academic work, he was President of the Poetry Club. He then attended
Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1787 as Franklin College and later merged with Marshall College in 1853, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United St ...
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1975, after only three years in college, he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
and graduated cum laude with a BA in Religious Studies. While attending Franklin and Marshall, he also studied Hebrew language at the
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. ...
. From 1975 to 1987, Sussman attended
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...
(HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio. HUC-JIR is the rabbinical seminary for North American Reform Judaism. He received a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 1979 and was ordained as a Rabbi by HUC-JIR in June, 1980. While studying for his rabbinical degree he was awarded the Mrs. Arthur Hays Sulzberger Prize in Homiletics for the Best Short Sermon. Before his ordination, Sussman was a student rabbi at Beth Boruk Temple, in Richmond, Indiana, where he wrote and published ''The Emergence of A Jewish Community in Richmond, Indiana'' (1981). This was Sussman's first published work in American Jewish History and the beginning of his scholarship on the history of Jewish communities in America. After ordination, Sussman remained at HUC-JIR where he earned a Ph.D. in American Jewish History in 1987, studying under Jacob Rader Marcus, the most senior scholar of American Jewish History, and
Jonathan D. Sarna Jonathan D. Sarna (born 10 January 1955) is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director othe Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis Universit ...
, who is currently at
Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
. Sussman's dissertation, "The Life and Career of Isaac Leeser (1806-1896): A Study of American Judaism in its Formative Period," was later published as ''Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism'' (1995). Ironically, Leeser was a leader of the Jewish community in Philadelphia, where Sussman would ultimately spend the bulk of his rabbinical career. In 2005, HUC-JIR awarded Sussman an honorary Doctorate of Divinity.


Early career

From 1982 to 1986, while writing his doctoral dissertation, Sussman served as the rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom in Middleton, Ohio. In 1987, Sussman joined the faculty of the history department at the State University of New York at Binghamton ( SUNY Binghamton), which is now called
Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...
. He was also a faculty member of the Judaic Studies Department. Sussman remained at SUNY Binghamton until 2001, where he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. In 1997–98, he was the chair of the Judaic Studies Department. From 1990 to 2001 he served as the founding President of Hillel at SUNY Binghamton. In addition, from 1986 to 1990 he served as the rabbi at a Reconstructionist congregation, Temple Beth-El, in Endicott, New York. From 1990 to 2001, in addition to teaching at SUNY Binghamton, he was also the rabbi at the much larger Temple Concord, a Reform congregation, in Binghamton, NY. While at SUNY Binghamton, Sussman taught courses on American Jewish history, modern Jewish history, and world religious history and directed many Ph.D. students. During his years at SUNY Binghamton, Sussman was also a Group Leader for
Birthright Israel Taglit-Birthright Israel (), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a free ten-day heritage trip to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage between the ages of 18 and 26. The program is spon ...
and the founder of Keshet Press, a not-for-profit company which published books on Jewish history in the southern tier of New York. While in Binghamton, Sussman also developed an exhibit for the University museum on Jewish migration and history in the southern tier of New York titled "Beyond the Catskills," and published a communal history by the same name in 1989. In 1995, Sussman created Hanukkah House, a seasonal holiday museum, located in the historic Jonas M. Kilmer House, known as the 'Kilmer Mansion', on the grounds of Temple Concord.


Philadelphia career and Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel

In 2001, Sussman moved to metropolitan Philadelphia where he accepted the pulpit at
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, abbreviated as KI, is a Reform Judaism, Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, Elkins Park, just outside the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in ...
(KI), which is the oldest reform congregation in Pennsylvania. KI was founded in 1847 as an orthodox synagogue and became a reform congregation in 1855. It was the fifth reform congregation in the United States. KI is remarkable for the longevity of its rabbis. Sussman is only the eighth senior rabbi in KI's 160 years as a reform congregation. Among his predecessors are three extraordinary figures in American Jewish history. Rabbi David Einhorn (1809–1879), was the most prominent Jewish abolitionist of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
era. Einhorn began his American career in Baltimore, where ironically Sussman was raised, but was forced to move to Philadelphia because of his opposition to slavery. During his tenure (1861–1866) KI became known as "The Abolitionist Temple". Rabbi
Joseph Krauskopf Joseph Krauskopf (January 21, 1858 – June 12, 1923) was a prominent American Jewish rabbi, author, leader of Reform Judaism, founder of the National Farm School (now Delaware Valley University), and long-time (1887–1923) rabbi at Reform Cong ...
(1858–1923), founded the National Farm School in 1896 (now
Delaware Valley University Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 2,178 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus. DelVal offers more than 28 undergraduate majors, 12 master's prog ...
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania). He later served as a chaplain for American forces under Col.
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
at the
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during the
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. Rabbi
Bertram Korn Bertram Wallace Korn, Sr. (6 October 1918 – 1979) was an American historian and rabbi, who served in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps during World War II. Serving with the US Naval Reserve after the war, in 1975, he was promoted to Rear Ad ...
(1918–1979), who as a Rear Admiral in the Chaplain Corps was the first Jewish chaplain to receive flag rank in any of the U.S. armed forces. Like Sussman, Korn was a prominent historian of the American Jewish experience and remembered for his classic study, ''American Jewry and the Civil War'' (1951). In 2001 Sussman wrote a scholarly introduction for a 50th anniversary reprinting of this book. In 2019, KI created the Lance J Sussman Rabbinic Chair in honor of his 18th year leading the congregation. Sussman currently holds that chair. While serving as the senior rabbi at KI, Sussman has also continued to teach at the university level. He has been a visiting professor, adjunct professor, or lecturer at, among others,
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
,
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
,
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
(City University of New York),
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
,
Gratz College Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (es ...
, and the New York City campus of HUC-JIR. Since its founding in 1998, he has been a member of the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has also served as a trustee of Delaware Valley College (now
Delaware Valley University Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 2,178 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus. DelVal offers more than 28 undergraduate majors, 12 master's prog ...
), the
Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, commonly called the Katz Center, is a postdoctoral research center devoted to the study of Jewish history and civilization. History The Katz Center is t ...
at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, and the
American Jewish Historical Society The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation an ...
in New York City. In 2015 he became a member of the Board of Governors of Gratz College, and in July 2019 he became the Chair of the Board of Governors. He has also worked closely with the
National Museum of American Jewish History The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum at 101 South Independence Mall East (S. 5th Street) at Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. It was founded in 1976. History With ...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sussman regularly gives public lectures and presentations and has spoken at, among others, the
American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a civil rights group and Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the wi ...
in Berlin, Germany,
Jagellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the wor ...
in Kraków, Poland, the Gershman YMHA (Young Men's Hebrew Association)
Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...
in Philadelphia, the
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
in New York City, the Annual Convention of the
Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. ...
, the biennial conference of the
Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...
,
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, and the
National Museum of American Jewish History The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum at 101 South Independence Mall East (S. 5th Street) at Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. It was founded in 1976. History With ...
. He has served as an adviser to numerous public exhibitions at museums and other cultural institutions and been involved with many public television (
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
)programs.


Rabbinic Platform of 1998

Between 1998 and 2001, Sussman was active in a national debate among Reform leaders over the direction of the Movement. In 1998 the magazine ''Reform Judaism'' published a draft of a new platform for the movement. In May 1999, the annual meeting of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), which is the organization of Reform Rabbis in the United States and Canada, debated this platform. In that debate Sussman offered numerous amendments to the proposed platform, many of which were adopted. After it was passed, Sussman publicly remarked, that despite his amendments, the new Platform, "doesn’t really address the religious needs of Reform Judaism at this time." In 2001 Sussman, working with Rabbi Robert M. Seltzer, a professor at Hunter College, City University of New York, responded to the 1999 platform by publishing "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism As it Approaches its Third Century." This document challenged the leadership of the Reform Movement to develop a more modern and forward thinking of the nature of Reform Judaism. The "Statement" was initially published in Rabbi Judith S. Lewis's edited volume, ''Thinking Ahead: Toward the Next Generation of Judaism'' (2001). It has since appeared on a number of internet sites. In response to the proposed platform in ''Reform Judaism'' in 1998 Sussman joined a group of other rabbis in founding the Association for Progressive Judaism. From 2013 to the end of 2018 he served as the national president of that organization. The Seltzer/Sussman "Statement" asserted that "Judaism has always been capable of adapting to unforeseeable situations while preserving its core of symbols and ideals." Grounded in Jewish history, the two Rabbis (who are also historians) argued that Judaism's "record of this adaptability and enduring faith" needed to be continued into the 21st Century. They declared: "We affirm that Judaism offers a spiritual grounding in a cosmic order that evokes in us awe and mystery. We insist that morality is central to Judaism and this cosmic order confers ethical responsibilities on us as beings with the capacity to choose between good and evil. We are convinced that modern historical and scientific knowledge has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the universe, the evolution of religion, and the development of Judaism – and that this knowledge calls on us to reexamine our presuppositions in every generation." They emphasized the importance of Reform Judaism in "affirming the exemplary power of morally courageous deeds, the sanctity of life, and the possibility of personal transcendence through the apprehension of spiritual beauty." They further argued that modern Judaism should be understood as "compatible with reason, historical knowledge, scientific thought, and democratic values." The "Statement" concluded by reaffirming the "uniqueness of the Jewish people" and their "central role in the spiritual history of humanity." Seltzer and Sussman urged Reform Jewish leaders to "recommit" the movement to the "highest moral and religious values" and "to the ideals of truthfulness, justice, compassion, and universal peace as envisioned by the prophets – humanity’s best hope in the new age it has entered." Despite Sussman's criticism of the CCAR platform, his Rabbinic colleagues made him the chair of the CCAR Press. In that capacity he also led a special taskforce to oversee the final production of ''Mishkan T’Filah: A Reform Siddur'' (2007), the new prayer book of the Reform Movement.


Academic and popular writing

Throughout his career Sussman has been an active scholar, writer, and public speaker. His revised doctoral dissertation, ''Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism'' (1995), is the only modern biography of one of the most important American Jewish leaders in the antebellum and civil war eras. Writing in ''American Jewish History'', the major professional specialty journal for this subject, a reviewer noted: "This outstanding, full-length monograph by Lance Sussman is by far the most comprehensive work to date and is likely to remain the definitive work on Leeser for many years to come." This scholar noted that Sussman's book was "well-researched, utilizing archival sources that hitherto were not consulted, this book is rich with discussion and analysis and includes several episodes not previously brought to light." Similarly, a reviewer in ''The Journal of American History'' noted "The author's account of Leeser's life fills an important hiatus in American Jewish historiography. His use of primary sources is extensive. The author's very readable text of biography and religious history will please both academician and layman alike." A major tool for librarians, OCLC World Cat, concluded serious libraries should buy the book because "The author provides remarkable insight into the early development of organized Jewish life in the United States" in "a comprehensive work about a long-neglected but central figure" of the nineteenth century American Jewish community. Another historian described the book as a "major contribution" and "the most comprehensive study of one of the most important Jewish leaders in pre-Civil War America." Indeed, Isaac Leeser and Sussman's other books have received favorable reviews in major academic journals and on-line resources that cover both U.S. history in general and also Judaic Studies. In addition to his academic scholarship (see publications list below) Sussman is an active public intellectual. He has given talks throughout the United States as well as overseas. He writes for newspapers and online publications as well. For example, in January 2013 Sussman wrote "Spielberg's Lincoln and the Jews: An Untold Story" for the online publication Jewish Ideas Daily This article was then reprinted in number of Jewish newspapers around the country including ''The Crescent City Jewish News'' in New Orleans, the ''New Jersey Jewish News'', and JewishJournal.com.


Public service


Interfaith work

In the early 1990s Sussman worked with the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) to collect and distribute food in Binghamton NY. CHOW worked with a number of religious organizations to fight hunger in the community. One site of distribution was Temple Concord where Sussman was the rabbi. In 2002, shortly after he arrived in the Philadelphia area, he was the founding president of the Cheltenham Area Multifaith Council (CAMC). Participants included Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews. After the attack on the World Trade Center (9-11) in 2001 he worked with the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding to promote Jewish-Muslim dialog. With the FFEU he participated in programming at the United States House of Representatives and at the United Nations on promoting Muslim-Jewish understanding. Sussman's picture appeared in an FFUE's full page ad in the New York Times. (April 13, 2008

In the Philadelphia area he worked with the Peace Islands Institute to foster Muslim-Jewish dialog. He has also worked with the
Thanks-Giving Square Thanks-Giving Square is a private park and public facility anchoring the Thanksgiving Commercial Center district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. Dedicated in 1976, the complex consists of three components: a landscaped garden and non-de ...
Foundation, a Dallas, Texas-based UN NGO that promotes global interfaith understanding through the practice of giving thanks. On March 1, 2001 Sussman gave the opening prayer for a session of the United States House of Representatives. In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Sussman helped run a fund raising effort at KI in cooperation with local Haitian organizations.


Social activism

Sussman has made trips to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
(1987) and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
(January 5–13, 2009) to show solidarity with Jews under totalitarian regimes and to help collect information about Jewish communities in these countries. From 2003 to 2006 Sussman worked with the German government to bring three groups of high school students from Frankfort to stay at homes of Jewish families affiliated with KI and similarly sent three groups of Jewish high school students from KI to Germany. From 2015 until January 2019, Sussman served as a Trustee of the American Board of
IsraAID IsraAID (The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid) is an Israel-based non-governmental organization that responds to emergencies all over the world with targeted humanitarian help. IsraAID was founded by Shachar Zahavi and Mully Dor. T ...
(founded in 2001), an Israeli-based not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization that has been engaged in emergency medical and rescue efforts after disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, tsunamis in Sri Lanka and Japan, and Syrian refugees in Jordan.


Pulpit innovations

Sussman has been highly innovative in his pulpit work combining art and high technology both for services and adult education. After studying the history of Jewish Art and publishing a number of historical articles, he began working with his Cantor at Keneseth Israel, to develop "Visual T'fillot (prayer), in which entire services including the Hebrew-English liturgy, transliteration, original art and video were combined. Keneseth Israel remodeled its 1,000-seat sanctuary to accommodate the new technological needs, a project requiring nearly one million dollars to complete. Sussman also developed a similar approach to Adult Education in the sanctuary by collaborating with a local digital artist, Joan Myerson Shrager. Together, they produced 90 lectures on Jewish Art and history between 2010 and 2015. For the synagogue's Preschool, Sussman created the (''
Avenue Q '' Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody ...
''-size) KI Puppets. Sussman commissioned Philadelphia based theater set designer, Glen Lash, to produce the puppets and a New York City commercial songwriter, Paul Suchow, to compose the puppet songs.


Publications


Selected books

* ''New Essays in American Jewish History''. KTAV Publishing House, Inc.. Jersey City, New Jersey. ed: Pamela S. Nadell, Jonathan D Sarna, Lance J. Sussman. (2009). . * ''Sharing Sacred Moments''. Keshet Press. Binghamton, New York. (1999). . * ''In Our Midst: How the Holocaust Touched One American Community''. Keshet Press. Binghamton, New York. (1997). co-author: Mary Rose. (hard cover) 1-883058-36-8 (soft cover). * ''Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism''. Wayne State University Press. Detroit, Michigan. (1995). . * ''Reform Judaism in American: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook''. Greenwood Press. Westport, Connecticut. ed: Kerry M. Olitzky, Lance J. Sussman, Malcolm H. Stern. (1993). . * ''Beyond the Catskills: Jewish Life in Binghamton, New York, 1850–1975''. State University of New York at Binghamton. Binghamton, New York. (1989) * ''The Emergence of a Jewish Community in Richmond, Indiana''. The Indiana Jewish Historical Society, Inc. Fort Wayne, Indiana. (1981) http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82134706.html


Selected articles and book chapters

* "Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf, Reform Triumphalism, and the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform". November, 2015. http://www.reformjudaism.org/practice/what-reform-judaism/rabbi-joseph-krauskopf-reform-triumphalism-and-1885-pittsburgh-platform * "100 Years After WWI, Its Effect on Reform Judaism is Still Felt". August 6, 2015. http://www.reformjudaism.org/blog/2015/08/06/100-years-after-wwi-its-effect-reform-judaism-still-felt#sthash.4dlhy4C1.dpuf * "The Rise of the Reform Rabbinate: Rabbinic Road Out of a Wilderness". August, 2015. http://www.reformjudaism.org/rise-reform-rabbinate-rabbinic-road-out-wilderness#sthash.GzcYDHTP.dpuf * From Battle to Metaphor: The Meaning of Waterloo in Modern Jewish History" June 18, 2015. http://www.reformjudaism.org/blog/2015/06/18/battle-metaphor-meaning-waterloo-modern-jewish-history * "The Confirmation Revolution: Then and Now". May 21, 2015. http://www.reformjudaism.org/blog/2015/05/21/confirmation-revolution-then-and-now * "Seeing is Believing: Visual T’filot and the Future of Jewish Worship" eJewish Philanthropy. May 20, 2015. http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/seeing-is-believing-visual-tfilot-and-the-future-of-jewish-worship * "On God" (1). ed: Rabbi Paul Citrin. ''Lights in the Forest: Rabbis Respond to Twelve Essential Jewish Questions''. CCAR Press. 2014. : pp. 42–46. * "Once Upon a Neighborhood: Jewish Life in Philadelphia". ''Jewish Exponent''. JWEX. August 14, 2014. . . * "The Jewish Context: American Jewish Leadership" (4). ed. Sharon Henderson Callahan. ''Religious Leadership. Formal and Informal Religious Leadership in the U.S. Context'': Volume One. SAGE Publications, Inc. Thousand Oaks, CA. 2013. . * "Faith in Art: Visual Culture and the Future of Judaism". ''CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly''. Winter, 2013. http://www.ccarnet.org/rabbis-speak/ccar-journal-reform-jewish-quarterly/winter-2013/ * "They Could Have All Been Saved". ''Jewish Ideas Daily''. May 2, 2013. http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/6423/features/they-all-could-have-been-saved-2/ * "HBO DOCUMENTARY: THEY ALL COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED RABBI LANCE SUSSMAN****". ed. Ruth King. "Ruthfully Yours". May 2, 2013. http://www.ruthfullyyours.com/2013/05/02/hbo-documentary-they-all-could-have-been-saved-rabbi-lance-sussman/ * * "Spielberg's 'Lincoln' and the Jews: An Untold Story" ''Crescent City Jewish News'' New Orleans, LA. January 18, 2013. http://www.crescentcityjewishnews.com/spielbergs-lincoln-and-the-jews-an-untold-story/ * "Seeing Our Future: Reform Judaism and Visual Culture" ''Journal of Reform Judaism''. 2012. * "The Rise of the Reform Rabbinate: Rabbinic Road Out of a Wilderness. A conversation with Rabbis Steve Fox and Lance Sussman, CCAR chief executive and national chair of the press, on the dramatic rise of the Reform rabbinate". Summer 2011. http://rjmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=2807 * "Transcending an Artless Tradition". ''Reform Judaism''. Winter, 2010. http://rjmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1846 * "Prospects for American Judaism". ''Jewish Review of Books''. Spring, 2010. * "God in America:Interview-Lance Sussman". Transcript. May 27, 2009. https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/interviews/lance-sussman.html * "The ‘Press Release’: Announcing U.S. Recognition of Israel". ed. Paul Finkelman. ''Milestone Documents in American History''. Vol. 3: 1888–1955. 2008. * "Reform Judaism" ed. Stephen Harlan Norwood, Eunice G. Pollack. ''Encyclopedia of American Jewish History''. Vol 1. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara, CA. 2008. . * "Isaac Leeser" ed. Stephen Harlan Norwood, Eunice G. Pollack. ''Encyclopedia of American Jewish History''. Vol 1. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara, CA. 2008. . * "David Einhorn" ed. Stephen Harlan Norwood, Eunice G. Pollack. ''Encyclopedia of American Jewish History''. Vol 1. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara, CA. 2008. . * "A Delicate Balance: Reform Rabbis Debate Officiation at Mixed Marriages, 1840–2005". ''CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly''. Spring, 2006. * "The Myth of the Trefa Banquet: American Culinary Culture and Radicalization of Food Policy in Reform Judaism". ''American Jewish Archives Journal''. LVII No. 1 & 2. 2005. pp. 29–52. ''Reprinted in'': ''The Sacred Table – Creating a Jewish Food Ethic''. (2) CCAR Press. 2011. pp. 17–48. ed: Mary L. Zamore. . http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/2005_57_01_02_sussman.pdf * "Let Freedom Ring: A Rabbinic Reflection on the Liberty Bell, Public Judaism, and Celebrate 350". ''CCAR Journal''. Fall, 2004. pp. 25–31. * "Thinking Ahead: Toward the Next Generation of Judaism". ed: Rabbi Judith S. Lewis. Keshet Press. Binghamton, NY. 2001. pp. 13–16. * "Pittsburgh II and the Crisis of Confidence in the Reform Rabbinate" ''CCAR Journal''. Co-Author: Robert M. Seltzer. Winter, 2000. pp. 26–33. * "Reform Judaism Reconsiders Rituals it Shed A Century Ago". Co-Authors: Nadine Brozan and Gustav Niebuhr. New York Times, May 27, 1999. * "Historian of the Jewish People: A Historiographical Reevaluation of the Writings of Jacob R. Marcus". ''American Jewish Archives Journal''. Volume 50, 1998. pp 10–21. * "Isaac Leeser and the 'Philadelphia Pattern' (2). ed: Murray Friedman. ''When Philadelphia Was the Capital of Jewish America''. Associated University Presses, Inc. 1993. : pp. 22-33. * "The Suburbanization of American Judaism as Reflected in Synagogue Architecture, 1944–1984". ''American Jewish History''. September, 1985. pp. 31–47. * "Another Look at Isaac Leeser and the First Jewish Translation of the Bible in the United States". ''Modern Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Ideas and Experience''. May, 1985. pp. 159–190. * "Toward Better Understanding: The Rise of the Interfaith Movement in America and the Role of Rabbi Isaac Landman". ''American Jewish Archives Journal''. 1982. pp. 35–51.


Media


Video documentaries

* ''God in America'': "T'reifah Banquet" (Episode 4). Produced and Directed by: Sarah Colt. WGBH: Frontline/American Experience. 2010. PBS Television Series (November, 2011). DVD. Transcript: https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/transcripts/hour-four.html * ''Voices for Justice: Reform Rabbis and Moral Leadership in America – A Videographic History''. Co-Producer: Gary Zola. The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. Cincinnati, OH. 2008. 55 mins. DVD. * ''I Believe: Reform Judaism''. Season 1; Episode 10. Producer: Dennis . PBS. Washington, DC. Apr 11, 2007. 26 mins. http://www.tvguide.com/shows/i-believe-287120/episodes/ * ''" We Don’ t Say Goodbye": Southern Tier People Remember the Holocaust''. Written and Produced by: Bill Jaker. Narrated by: Heather Dunbar. 2005. WSKG Telecommunications Council, Binghamton, NY. DVD. Based on ''In Our Midst'' (see selected books above).


Other media

* ''Jews in Western Europe''. 2013. Gratz College. Melrose Park, PA. Online Course SP13: Lectures 2, 3, and 11. Running times vary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL1HXAgfOOw; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEWDUnp4ivE; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT9gIt8AQeA * ''Our Founders: Radical Visionaries / Moderate Pragmatists: David Einhorn, Isaac Mayer Wise, and Stephen S. Wise. Part 2. Followed by a Dialogue between their Successors''(Session III). Co-Presenter: Rabbi David Ellenson, Ph.D., President, HUC-JIR. 2013. SCRJ (Society for Classical Reform Judaism) Symposium. 1:30:32 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2voo_XnMOY8 * ''"What will Jewish Belonging look like in 20 years?". Jewish Life in 2030: A Working Conference for a Vibrant Jewish Future''. Co-presenter: Rabbi Edythe Mencher. May 23, 2011. Shalom TV. Jewish Outreach Institute. New York, NY. 46:47 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nej0lswyVZQ * ''Hope for Haiti Benefit''. Feb 3, 2010. Elkins Park KI. 8:19 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grgcPJKVMrA * Congressional Record: Call to Order and Prayer. Mar 1, 2001. House of Representatives, United States Congress. Uploaded Aug 11, 2014. 1:09 mins. http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4506229/rabbi-lance-sussman-temple-concord-binghamton-ny http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4506231/rep-maurice-hinchey-remarks-rabbi-lance-sussman


References


Further reading

* * http://jewishexponent.com/judaism/2014/12/three-synagogues-two-denominations-one-hebrew-school * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sussman, Lance Living people 1954 births 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American Reform rabbis American people of German-Jewish descent Clergy from Philadelphia Binghamton University faculty Historians from Pennsylvania Jewish American historians Historians of Jews and Judaism Writers from Baltimore Writers from Philadelphia People from Pikesville, Maryland Historians from Maryland American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American rabbis