Reform Judaism’s storied DC lobby gets a new leader
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, 46, a veteran Reform organizer and advocate, promises to tackle racial tensions
After 40 years at the helm of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, Rabbi David Saperstein is stepping down following his appointment as US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom
His replacement to lead the celebrated, influential advocacy arm of Reform Judaism, will be Rabbi Jonah Pesner, the Union for Reform Judaism announced Wednesday.
The founder of the Just Congregations interfaith program and the URJ’s Campaign for Youth Engagement, Pesner, 46, was named one of America’s most influential rabbis by Newsweek magazine.
The Religious Action Center played a pivotal role in the drafting of the 1964 civil rights legislation and advocated for Soviet Jewry in the 1970s and 1980s.
Under Pesner, it will focus on racial tensions and economic issues, the new director said in a Wednesday statement.
“As I look at the tragedies in Ferguson and Staten Island, I fear that they are emblematic of what is happening in too many communities nationwide,” Pesner said. “Among our top priorities to address the racial disparity all too present in our society will be pushing for action in the new Congress to protect voting rights and to end racial profiling.”
“From day one, Jonah will be a powerful voice as he leads our work on economic inequality, climate change, US/Israel relations, healthcare reform, and more,” URJ president Rabbi Rick Jacobs said.
Rabbi Steve Fox, CEO of the Reform movement’s rabbinic group, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, said Pesner had a “demonstrated ability to unite diverse voices from within our Movement and with others in pursuit of our common purpose.”
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