Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg

Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg is the president of Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation, whose mission is to create new institutions and initiatives to enrich the religious, cultural, and institutional life of American Jewry.

An ordained Orthodox rabbi and a Harvard Ph.D., Rabbi Greenberg has been a seminal thinker in confronting the Holocaust as a transforming historical event and in viewing Israel as the Jewish assumption of power and the beginning of a third era in Jewish history. He has published numerous articles and monographs on Jewish thought and religion, as well as two books, The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, a philosophy of Judaism based on an analysis of the Sabbath and holidays, and Living in the Image of God: Jewish Teachings to Perfect the World.

From 1974 to 1997, he served as the founding president of CLAL―the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a pioneering institution in the development of adult and leadership education in the Jewish community and the leading organization in intra-Jewish dialogue. Before CLAL was founded, he served as the rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center, an associate professor of history at Yeshiva University, and a founder, chair, and professor in the Department of Jewish Studies of the City College of the City University of New York.

Rabbi David Wolpe

David Wolpe is the rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Previously, he taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also served as assistant to the chancellor. He has taught at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and at Hunter College in New York. Rabbi Wolpe lectures widely at universities, synagogues, and institutes throughout the country. He was a King David scholar for the United Jewish Appeal and currently serves on the editorial board of the Conservative movement’s Torah Commentary, which is in progress.

Rabbi Wolpe is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers on subjects of Jewish and general religious interest. He writes two columns, which run in Jewish newspapers throughout the country. His own writing, as well as profiles of him and reviews of his work, have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. He has also made frequent television appearances on CNN and on CBS This Morning as a commentator on spiritual questions. He has been featured most recently in a series on A&E called Mysteries of the Bible.

Rabbi Wolpe is the author of six books: The Healer of Shattered Hearts: A Jewish View of God, In Speech and in Silence: The Jewish Quest for God, Teaching Your Children About God, Why Be Jewish?, Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, and, most recently, Floating Takes Faith: Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World.