Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman (born 1942) is a former rabbinic leader in

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

. He is a past president of the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

(CCAR) and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 2000, Zimmerman was suspended from the CCAR after an inquiry regarding inappropriate sexual conduct revealed a pattern of predatory behavior, including fondling and kissing a teenager. He subsequently resigned as the 7th president of HUC-JIR which he had led from 1996–2000.

Background and Career

Rabbi Zimmerman was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

and attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. He was ordained from HUC's New York Campus in 1970 and is the 11th generation of rabbis in his family.HUC Press Release
His son, Rabbi Brian Zimmerman, currently the regional director for the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establishe ...

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

region, is the 12th. His other son Coach David Zimmerman is currently the Athletic Director and Varsity Boys Basketball coach at Yavneh Academy of Dallas. Zimmerman served as the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from 1972–1985 and Temple Emanu-El in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. He then served as the 7th president of HUC-JIR from 1996-2000 until his resignation after the allegations that were made against him. After leaving HUC, Zimmerman worked as executive vice president of the popular

Birthright Israel Taglit-Birthright Israel ( he, תגלית), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a not-for-profit educational organization that sponsors free ten-day heritage trips to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adult ...

program. In 2003, United Jewish Communities (UJC) hired Zimmerman as vice president of Jewish Renaissance and Renewal. In 2012, Sheldon's book ''The New Family Prayerbook'' was published. He served as the rabbi of the Jewish Center of

the Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...

for nearly 10 years, until his retirement in the summer of 2017. Zimmernman then served as scholar-in-residence at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas from 2017 until his firing in 2021.

Misconduct

Zimmerman was suspended by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) in 2000 after what was described as inappropriate “personal relationships” that violated ethical codes. Shortly after this, he resigned as president of the HUC-JIR, the Reform movement's seminary. The CCAR later reinstated Zimmerman's credentials in 2005. In 2020, a former congregant of Zimmerman (at Central Synagogue, where Zimmerman had served as senior rabbi from 1972-1985) reported that she had also been subjected to predatory sexual behavior during his time in the congregation. This led to a new investigation being conducted, which led to additional reports of sexually predatory behavior by Zimmerman. In the aftermath of the announcement from Central Synagogue, Temple Emanu-El of Dallas fired Zimmerman from his position with the congregation in May 2021. The CCAR and HUC both stated in early 2021 that they are continuing to investigate the allegations. On November 3, 2021, Hebrew Union College published a report of an investigation made regarding past reports of sexual misconduct at HUC, which included three accounts of such conduct by Zimmerman.Lewis, Kaitli
"Decades of sexual harassment, misconduct found at Hebrew Union College" ''Cincinnati.com'' (Nov. 20, 2021)
Accessed Dec. 5, 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Sheldon 1942 births Living people American Reform rabbis People from Toronto 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American Jews