Rabbi David Saperstein

Affiliation: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Titles: Director

Contact Information:
Progressive Faith Media: Jennifer Mason, 212-300-2072; mason@progressivefaithmedia.com, or
Phone: 202-387-2800 Fax: 202-667-9070
rac@uahc.org

Rabbi David Saperstein is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Described in a Washington Post profile as the "quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill" and by the Wall Streetn Journal as “one of the nation’s most politically influential” religious leaders, he represents the national Reform Jewish Movement to Congress and the administration. He currently co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, comprised of over 60 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 "has become one of the most powerful Jewish bodies in Washington, second only to AIPAC." The Center advocates on a broad range of social justice issues and provides extensive legislative and programmatic materials used by synagogues and federations 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.

• Speeches
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• Letter to Colin Powell on Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza Strip and Security Barrier
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• "Activist Rabbi Arrested in Protest at Sudanese Embassy"
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