Rabbi David Saperstein

Rabbi David Saperstein is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Described in a The Washington Post profile as the “quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill,” he represents the national Reform Jewish Movement to Congress and the administration. During his 30 year tenure as Director of the Center, Rabbi Saperstein has headed several national religious coalitions. He currently co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, comprised of over 50 national religious denominations and educational organizations, and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way. In 1999, Rabbi Saperstein was elected as the first Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom created by a unanimous vote of Congress.

Under Rabbi Saperstein’s tutelage, writes J.J. Goldberg in his book, Jewish Power , the Religious Action Center “has become one of the most powerful Jewish bodies in Washington, second only to AIPAC.” The Center not only advocates on a broad range of social justice issues but provides extensive legislative and programmatic materials used by synagogues, federations and Jewish community relations councils nationwide, and coordinates social action education programs that train nearly 3,000 Jewish adults, youth, rabbinic and lay leaders each year.

Also an attorney, Rabbi Saperstein teaches seminars in both First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown University Law School.

A prolific writer and speaker, Rabbi Saperstein has appeared on a number of television news and talk shows including Nightline, Oprah, Lehrer News Hour and ABC’s Sunday Morning. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post , The New York Times and The Harvard Law Review . His latest book is Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice: Tough Moral Choices of Our Time . Rabbi Saperstein is part of a large rabbinic family. Great uncles on both sides of his family were Reform rabbis, two great-grandfathers were Orthodox rabbis, his father Harold and uncle Sanford were well-known Reform rabbis, and his brother Marc is one of this generation's leading Jewish scholars.

In his book Thunder in America , network news correspondent Bob Faw wrote of Rabbi Saperstein: "Saperstein learned from political masters...[His] energy was almost legendary -- no one around him worked longer hours, no one darted in and out of more meetings... Once he'd taken on an assignment, he'd always guide it safely home to completion."

Click here for additional resources for Rabbi Saperstein's essay.

Rabbi Clifford E. Librach

The United Jewish Center is proud to call Rabbi Clifford E. Librach its energetic, innovative and dynamic spiritual leader. His definition of Reform Judaism as "an attitude rather than a rigid theology" encourages all of us to explore and deepen our commitment to Judaism and the Jewish people. He is a healer, a leader and a well-respected thinker.

Rabbi Librach is a widely published and respected scholar, appearing in such journals as Commentary and the CCAR Journal. His introductory essay “Personal Responsibility: The Foundation of Jewish Ethics” in Public Policy and Social Issues, edited by Marshall J. Breger (2004), has won international acclaim. He has been scholarly and challenging from the pulpit as well – and playful, supportive and engaging with our children. He has skills and talents beyond his impressive resume: for example, as a puppeteer teaching The Ten Plagues or as a master auctioneer whose enthusiasm and antics raised some $16,000 for us in one evening. We all look forward to his adult education, whether in the form of a Sunday Seminar or a trip to Israel under his guidance and leadership.

In November, 1998, Rabbi Librach was honored by The Forward, the national Jewish weekly, which named him one of America's fifty most influential and dynamic leaders and thinkers. He was the only Reform pulpit rabbi to be so honored.

Rabbi Librach came to the UJC from Temple Sinai of Sharon, MA. As spiritual leader there for eleven years, he demonstrated dramatic leadership and great versatility. Their new $6 million home was financed and built on the strength of his tireless effort and clearly articulated vision. His provocative Saturday morning Torah study discussions with adults were often followed by joyous singing and warm, meaningful Shabbat Morning services.

This is the kind of Rabbi who is not afraid to take a strong stand on a difficult issue in a Friday night sermon, but also the kind of mensch who delights children and adults at Purim, Chanukah, and Simchat Torah.

Prior to his tenure in Massachusetts, Rabbi Librach was rabbi at Moses Montefiore Congregation in Bloomington, IL. During his six years there, he also compiled an extraordinary record of religious and community leadership. He served as Adjunct Professor of Jewish Thought at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

Clifford E. Librach was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. He holds a Bachelor's degree (cum laude) in Philosophy and American Studies from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University, where he was Associate Editor of The Law Review and Research Assistant to Dean Norman Redlich. His rabbinic ordination is from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, OH, where he was the student of the late revered scholars Rabbis Chanan Brichto and Jakob J. Petuchowski. His rabbinic thesis, "Judaism Beyond Autonomy: A Philosophy of Halakha for Liberal Jews" was completed under Petuchowski's tutelage. While in Cincinnati, he taught Professional Ethics at the University of Cincinnati School of Law.

Before Rabbi Librach's ordination, he served as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Robert E. Seiler of the Supreme Court of Missouri and was a litigator with two distinguished law firms, Husch & Eppenberger in St. Louis and Taft, Stettinius & Hollister in Cincinnati. Rabbi Librach is the author of numerous articles and reviews in the fields of Judaism, Reform Judaism, prayer and rabbinics, published in such journals as Sh'ma, the CCAR Journal, First Things and Commentary.

Rabbi Librach is involved in synagogue activities on all levels. He was recently appointed to a special Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis to review its overall program and financial health. His rabbinic knowledge and expertise bring us a new measure of spirituality and confident leadership. His enthusiasm and passion for Judaism are contagious, as are his decency and caring.

Rabbi Librach and his wife, Miriam, and their children, Giliah (23) and Max (20) are delighted to call the UJC of Danbury their home. And the UJC is proud to call him Moreinu haRav, our teacher, our leader, our Rabbi.

Click here for additional resources for Rabbi Librach's essay.