Four rabbis whose wonderful work Revson supports made it into The Daily Beast’s 2013 list of America’s top 50rabbis, with one claiming the very top spot.
#1: Rabbi Sharon Brous, leader of IKAR in Los Angeles, was funded by Revson from 2007through 2011 to implement innovative youth outreach programs. According to The Daily Beast, IKAR “has become a magnet for L.A.’s young, unaffiliated Jews.”
#44: Rabbi Mychal Springer is founder and director of the Center for Pastoral Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a Revson-led initiative. The Daily Beast notes that “Springer transformed the way the school prepares its students: JTS newly requires all of its rabbinic students to complete 400hours of clinical pastoral education—in nursing facilities, hospices, or various social-services agencies.”
#27:Rabbi Andy Bachman is leader of Brooklyn’s Congregation Beth Elohim, where Revson supports a Community Organizing Fellow. The Daily Beast notes that “in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, [CBE] fed tens of thousands of people affected by the storm, and is now in the process of creating a year-round hunger-relief program.”
#18: Rabbi Roly Matalon of the Upper West Side’s B’nai Jeshurun is co-founder of the Revson-sponsored organization Piyut North America, which The Daily Beast explains is “dedicated to infusing Jewish spiritual practice with sacred Hebrew poetry and musical traditions from around the world.”
The Daily Beast explains how it chooses who makes the list:
What makes a “great” 21st-century rabbi?
She may comfort a dying man or mentor a struggling student or give a Rosh Hashanah sermon that sticks with her congregants throughout the year.
A “great” rabbi in the context of this list does these things, too. But they are also influencers on a grand scale, because they are effective at bringing ideas, innovations, and inspiration to large numbers of American Jews.
In crafting this list, we take into consideration a rabbi’s public profile and constituency size and the magnitude with which their ideas are shaping the Jewish landscape. Special attention is paid to their work over the past 12 months.
See the whole list here.