Jonathan Klein

About Jonathan Klein

Rabbi Klein, a community rabbi with diverse skills in community-building and nonprofit management, serves as Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Bakersfield, where he leads worship, teaches, and supports his congregants\' spiritual journeys. Prior to this role, Rabbi Klein was Executive Director of Beth Chayim Chadashim, a predominantly LGBTQ+ synagogue in Los Angeles. Rabbi Klein also volunteered as board Secretary and Executive Director of HOPE for All, a community development corporation geared toward helping individuals survive the ravages of a brutal economy and advocate for policies that protect the working poor, founded by Rev. Norman Copeland. An animal advocate, he founded and incorporated Faith Action for Animals, a multi-faith organization devoted to advocating for animal welfare policy, in 2012. Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1997, Rabbi Klein previously served congregations in Flagstaff, Arizona and Rye, New York, directed The Union for Reform Judaism’s College Department (KESHER, and served as the Allen and Ruth Ziegler Director of USC Hillel along with a year at Progressive Jewish Alliance (2008-9). Rabbi Klein served as the Executive Director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (2009-18), building it into a Southern California advocacy powerhouse, ensuring that religious leaders bring their moral authority and centuries-old traditions to the defense of low income Angelenos and beyond. Rabbi Klein currently serves as the elected Treasurer of Interreligious Network for Worker Solidarity (IN4WS). He also founded and serves as Executive Director/President of Faith Action for All, an economic justice, environmentalist and animal rights org. Previously, he served as secretary/ED of HOPE for All (20••••21) and, prior to that, was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles City’s Commission on Revenue Generation (20••••20). He has also served on the boards of the ACLU of Southern California and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, among others. Rabbi Klein was also an elected delegate to the California Democratic Party, representing Assembly District 51••••••19). Rabbi Klein holds a progressive worldview but is a staunch supporter of pluralism: “Gandhi teaches that no one religion has all truth; all religions are needed to obtain absolute truth. So, too, no one political perspective captures the totality of right and wrong. It is incumbent upon all of us to wake up to the wisdom of those with completely different worldviews.”

Experience

1. Course Instructor

   Bakersfield College

   Aug 2021 — Present · Bakersfield, CA, US

   Bringing Jewish studies to Bakersfield and beyond, I teach online Zoom-based Judaica and Hebrew classes to both Jewish and non-Jewish community members. Courses are taught each semester, including The Basics of Judaism, Hebrew Reading, and more.

Education

• Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-Los Angeles

  Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters

  1992 — 1995

• Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion

  Doctor of Divinity (Honorary)

• University of California, Los Angeles

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

  1987 — 1992

• Touro University Worldwide

  Master's degree

  2024 — 2027

• Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-New York

  Rabbinic Ordination

  1995 — 1997