diversity@work | Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl | November 9, 2011

Panelist Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Anne and Max Tanenbaum Rabbinic Chair, Beth Tzedec Congregation. The focus of his rabbinate has been a commitment to family education and life-long learning. He has brought to Beth Tzedec an interest in involving single adults and young couples in Jewish life and a deep commitment to provide hesed (the support which is nourished by loving kindness) to the sick, the shut-ins and the bereaved and an on-going effort to "open up" the synagogue services to encourage more participation. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Rabbi Frydman-Kohl has intellectual interests in the areas of Jewish philosophy and mysticism and often draws upon these Jewish theological sources for his teaching.

In addition to his congregational responsibilities, Rabbi Frydman-Kohl has been deeply involved in work with Interfaith Dialogue with all faiths represented in the Toronto Mosaic. He is regularly called upon by the media as the Jewish voice on faith related issues.




The Rabbi has lived overseas in France and Israel and has personal knowledge of the political, cultural and social issues which face those communities. He has a history of involvement in various public causes going back to his high school years in Chicago. He has a special interest in outreach to individuals not traditionally involved in the Jewish community, such as single adults, Jews by choice and alcoholics. Rav Baruch still enjoys a friendly game of baseball and wishes that he could play second base for the Chicago Cubs.

In June 1992, the Rabbi was awarded a Coolidge Fellowship by the Association for Religion and Intellectual Life to pursue research in an inter-faith community at the Episcopal Divinity School at Harvard University. In 2003 he was awarded the degree of a Doctor of Divinity. In 2004 he received his doctorate in Jewish Philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary and was named Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Frydman-Kohl is the author of scholarly articles in the area of Jewish philosophy and mysticism and is presently involved as one of the leaders on an interfaith mission with Christians and Muslims to the Holy Land.

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