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Irwin Kula (born November 29, 1957) is an American
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 ...
and author, currently serving as the president of the
National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL) is a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center. It is an inter-disciplinary and inter-denominational movement, in which rabbis from all major Jewish denominations in ...
(CLAL). In 2008, he was listed as 7th in ''
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''’s “50 most influential rabbis” list, and the following year he was listed as #10.


Education

Kula is a 7th generation rabbi. Kula received his B.A. in Philosophy from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, B.H.L. from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA), and M.A. in Rabbinics and Rabbinic Ordination from the JTSA.


Career

In 2003, Kula hosted a 13-part public TV series, ''Simple Wisdom with Irwin Kula'', and had a public TV special called ''The Hidden Wisdom of Our Yearnings''. He was also featured in the 2004 film, ''Time for a New God''. Kula, speaking of the reality tv show '' Shalom in the Home'' of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, said: "He’s trying to take an ancient tradition that has been familial, tribal, and inwardly focused, and translate it into an American idiom so it can benefit the larger society. He’s essentially bringing the
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
to the marketplace of ideas, and there are very few people doing this." Kula is the author of ''Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life'', and a co-editor of ''The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices: CLAL’s Guide to Everyday & Holiday Rituals and Blessings''. He is also the co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula (KXL, Portland, OR). He is a blogger for ''
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'' and the ''Washington Post''/''Newsweek''’s “On Faith” column, and has appeared on NBC’s ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', and '' Frontline''. Kula is an adjunct faculty member at the
United Theological Seminary United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright (father of the Wright brothers), it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members ...
, teaching courses in
practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more ful ...
.


Interfaith relations

Kula has expressed opposition to proposals for the
beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
of Pope Pius XII, who was bishop of Rome during the challenging eras of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
and the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. In January 2009, he also argued that the Jewish reaction to the lifting of the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson was rather disproportionate. In July 2010 he strongly criticized the
Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
, a Jewish
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
organization, for its opposition to the construction of Cordoba House, an
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
ic cultural center and
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) are performed, in ...
planned to be built near the
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in New York City.


Awards

Kula was a recipient of the 2008 Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award. He was named as one of the leaders shaping the American spiritual landscape by both '' Fast Company magazine'' and PBS's '' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly''. Kula received a “Books for a Better Life” award, and his book "Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life" was selected by ''Spirituality and Health Magazine'' as one of the ''10 Best Spiritual Books of 2006''.


References


External links


Articles by Irwin Kula
on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
Hirschfield and Kula RadioRabbi Irwin Kula at Clal.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kula, Irwin 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis 1957 births Living people Religious naturalists Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni