Rabbi Elliott Tepperman: Bringing a Community-Organizing Model to the Pulpit

Email Rabbi Elliott Tepperman

Rabbi Elliott Tepperman has been the spiritual leader of Bnai Keshet, in Montclair, NJ since 2002.  His rabbinate embraces spiritually courageous Judaism and loving pursuit of shalom and justice for all people. He believes that Jewish practice is most transformational when deep internal work becomes a springboard for building community and engaging with the world. And likewise when we bring the profound and mundane challenges of our personal and public lives to bear on our Jewish study and worship.

Elliott Tepperman is a founding member of the IAF-affiliated New Jersey Together. He is currently organizing to build the sanctuary movement in NJ with Faith in New Jersey (PICO). He has worked with Bend the Arc teaching Congregation-Based Community Organizing at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and other seminaries. He was a member of Bend The Arcs 13^th Selah cohort. He is a past President of the Montclair Clergy Association and he is currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association as First Vice President.

He is married to Sarah O’Leary and is the proud father of Akiva-Lev, 17, and Sam, 15. Surprisingly, he now finds himself swimming, running and playing guitar.

In 2019, Rabbi Elliott won the Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Award from T'ruah, the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Read more here.