Gabriel Kanter-Webber is a British

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

. He received semichah in summer 2022, after training at

Leo Baeck College Leo Baeck College is a privately funded rabbinical seminary and centre for the training of teachers in Jewish education. Based now at the Sternberg Centre, East End Road, Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet, it was founded by Werner van ...

, and is rabbi of

Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, also known as Adat Shalom Verei’ut (Congregation of Peace and Friendship), is a Liberal synagogue in Hove, Sussex, England. It was established in 1935 and now has more than 300 members. Elizabeth Tikv ...

, succeeding Rabbi

Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah (also known as Rabbi Elli Sarah) is a British rabbi and author. Sarah graduated from the London School of Economics in 1977 and was ordained in 1989. Sarah (who took her middle name as her surname) and Rabbi Sheila Shulma ...

who retired in 2021. His arrival in Brighton was covered by local news. He also serves as

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

Education and career

Kanter-Webber studied his undergraduate degree at the

, during which time he was also headteacher of the Progressive Synagogue's

cheder A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...

. After graduating from university, he spent a year as a youth worker for LJY-Netzer. He previously sat on the

Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...

. In 2015, ''

Jewish News The ''Jewish News'' is a free weekly newspaper, established in 1997, that serves the Jewish communities of Greater London – specifically Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Essex. In 2002, it won the ''Press Gazette'' free newspaper of the year. In F ...

'' listed him as number 7 on their list of 25 young Jewish leaders to watch. Kanter-Webber also officiated at Britain's first bar mitzvah for a non-binary teen and at the first Jewish burial in the city of York for 8 centuries. His Leo Baeck College dissertation calls for abusive rabbis to have their rabbinic ordination taken away. In 2022, he reported a

member for making racist comments about

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

, sparking a Board of Deputies investigation.

Personal life

Kanter-Webber is married with one son and one daughter.

Publications

The Antisemitic Rabbi Who Became a Priest: Well, maybe
in

Tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

Why Does God Get It Wrong?
in European Judaism
Thank You God For Not Making Me A Slave
in ''Slavery-Free Communities'' (chapter written with Mia Hasenson-Gross)

Links

Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue

Gabrielquotes
Rabbi Kanter-Webber's website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanter-Webber, Gabriel Living people British Liberal rabbis Alumni of Leo Baeck College Alumni of the University of Sussex Year of birth missing (living people)