Rabbi Dennis C. Sasso

Dennis C. Sasso (RRC ‘74) is Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, Indianapolis IN, which he had served since 1977 until his retirement in 2023. He was born and raised in Panama, a descendant of Spanish-Portuguese Sephardic Caribbean families. Rabbi Sasso earned a BA with honors in Near Eastern Studies at Brandeis University and an MA in Religion from Temple University. He was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1974. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN, where he is Affiliate Professor of Jewish Studies. He holds several Doctor of Divinity Honoris Causa degrees. Rabbi Sasso has been active in academic, civic and interfaith circles. He is a founding officer and Past President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and of the Indiana Board of Rabbis, as well as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the New York Board of Rabbis. He is a prolific author of popular and academic articles and writes a Blog for the Times of Israel. Rabbi Sasso is the recipient of multiple honors and recognitions, including the Ira Eisenstein Award  for Leadership and Service in the Rabbinate, the Faith and Freedom Award of the Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and the Community Service Award of the NAACP. He and his wife, Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, were designated “Interfaith Ambassadors of the Year”  by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, “Hoosier Jewish Legends” by the Indiana Jewish Historical Society and “Indiana Living Legends” by the Indiana Historical Society. Rabbis Sasso is listed by the Indianapolis Business Journal among the “250 Most Influential Leaders in Indiana.” Rabbis Dennis and Sandy Sasso are the first practicing married rabbinical couple in world Jewish history. They are the parents of Dr. David A. Sasso (Dr. Naomi Libby) and Dr. Debora S. Herold (Dr. Bradley), and the proud grandparents of Darwin, Ari, Raven, and Levi.

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