Contact: Max Rosenblum or Rabbi Michael Namath
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Washington, D.C., June 30, 2015 – Today, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the social action office of the Reform Jewish Movement, officially announced the hire of Rabbi Joel Simonds as the Associate Program Director for the West Coast. Rabbi Simonds will deepen engagement with west coast congregations involved in the RAC’s signature programs and advocacy work.
“I am honored and excited to continue the pursuit of justice through the voice of the Reform Jewish tradition. I feel the moral call to act swiftly against the tide of injustice of the world and know an impact can be made here on the west coast through the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. The RAC has played a central role in the life of my family, and it is because of the work of the RAC that I became a rabbi,” Simonds said.
As the Associate Program Director, Rabbi Simonds will help engage Jewish youth, congregations and communities in strengthening their social justice efforts, helping congregations play a more central role in advocating for the causes that the Movement cares deeply about at the local, state and federal level. Rabbi Simonds will also educate and train Reform Jewish youth in California and other select communities on the west coast on the Jewish mandate to pursue justice, the Reform Movement’s tradition of activism, social inequity, and the American political process.
“Rabbi Simonds has been a true leader in our Movement for decades,” said Religious Action Center Director Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner. “He’s crusaded tirelessly for justice as a rabbi of one of the largest Reform synagogues in Los Angeles, and has been an inspiration to us all in our constant pursuit of justice. We couldn’t be more blessed to welcome Joel to our team.”
Rabbi Simonds, who will begin his tenure with the RAC on July 1, will remain as an associate rabbi at University Synagogue in Los Angeles on a more limited scale.