Rabbi Seth Goldstein

Rabbi Seth Goldstein is both committed to creating vibrant Jewish community and using a spiritual voice to speak to issues of social justice and common concern. He has been serving Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Wash., since graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2003. He also holds a master’s degree in Jewish studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Washington, and has trained in professional mediation. He is a past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. He has completed the Clergy Leadership Program of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and was a member of the third cohort of the Clergy Leadership Incubator. He is a Rabbis Without Borders fellow, was a Brickner Rabbinic Fellow through the Religious Action Center and was named as one of “America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis” by The Forward. Rabbi Goldstein is the author of numerous published articles, essays and liturgy, and writes regularly on his blog, Rabbi 360. Currently, he creates content for social media with 44,000 followers on TikTok and has produced two podcasts, “Torah tl;dr” and “The Golden PodCalf,” and a webseries, “Carpooling with Rabbi.” He is deeply engaged in local community affairs and active in Interfaith Works of Thurston County and the Faith Action Network, a statewide advocacy organization, and is one of the founders of Concerned Clergy of Olympia. He has testified in front of the Washington State Legislature on numerous occasions. Rabbi Goldstein lives in Olympia with his wife, Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg (RRC ’03), and two sons, Ozi and Erez. They recently took a social justice-themed cross-country road trip, which they recounted in their blog, “Two Rabbis Cross America.”

Essays

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network