Mordechai Liebling
Encyclopedia
Mordechai E. Liebling
currently serves as the director of the newly created Social Justice Organizing Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
. He has worked throughout his career toward tikkun olam
, repair of the world, and RRC’s program is the first Jewish seminary-based initiative to offer a specialized certificate in justice organizing for rabbis.
Through his own experience, Liebling came to realize that spiritual leaders hold unique power to demonstrate and inspire ethical choices, and to lead a pursuit of justice fueled by caring rather than rage.
Most recently he served as the executive vice president of Jewish Funds for Justice
; prior to that organization’s merger with The Shefa Fund, he held the title Torah of Money Director at TSF, providing guidance to help people apply Jewish laws and values to how they spend, invest and donate. For 12 years he was the executive director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
, and he later served there as senior consultant. Before entering the rabbinical program at RRC, he worked as a community organizer.
Liebling was a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations for 12 years. He has served on the boards of various national and international non-profit organizations; currently he serves on the boards of the Faith and Politics Institute and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America. Liebling also is the president emeritus of the Shalom Center.
He has received awards from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility and Mazon. Liebling also has spoken out for justice for people with disabilities, and his family was the subject of the award-winning documentary film
Praying With Lior.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Cornell University
and Master of Arts in the history of American civilization, specializing in American progressive movements, from Brandeis University
. Liebling is a 1985 graduate of RRC.
He has published articles in many publications, including Tikkun, Israel Horizons, Jewish Currents and The Reconstructionist.
Most recently, he authored a chapter entitled "The Odyssey (Of a Jewish Man)" in the new book "Brother Keepers: New Perspectives on Jewish Masculinity," in which he describes his personal spiritual journey.
He was married to Rabbi Devora Bartnoff Liebling (July 3, 1952-April 30, 1997), who died age 44 after a two year struggle with breast cancer
; he is currently married to Lynne Iser.
currently serves as the director of the newly created Social Justice Organizing Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College , is located in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of central Philadelphia. RRC is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and...
. He has worked throughout his career toward tikkun olam
Tikkun olam
Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world." In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam originated in the early rabbinic period...
, repair of the world, and RRC’s program is the first Jewish seminary-based initiative to offer a specialized certificate in justice organizing for rabbis.
Through his own experience, Liebling came to realize that spiritual leaders hold unique power to demonstrate and inspire ethical choices, and to lead a pursuit of justice fueled by caring rather than rage.
Most recently he served as the executive vice president of Jewish Funds for Justice
Jewish Funds for Justice
The Jewish Funds for Justice is an Amercian charity based in New York. Since 2005, Simon Greer has been its President & CEO.-History:The original Jewish Fund for Justice was created in 1984...
; prior to that organization’s merger with The Shefa Fund, he held the title Torah of Money Director at TSF, providing guidance to help people apply Jewish laws and values to how they spend, invest and donate. For 12 years he was the executive director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation founded in 1955, is the synagogue arm of Reconstructionist Judaism, serving more than 100 congregations and havurot spread across North America. It is located at 101 Greenwood Ave., Suite 430 in Jenkintown, PA....
, and he later served there as senior consultant. Before entering the rabbinical program at RRC, he worked as a community organizer.
Liebling was a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations for 12 years. He has served on the boards of various national and international non-profit organizations; currently he serves on the boards of the Faith and Politics Institute and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America. Liebling also is the president emeritus of the Shalom Center.
He has received awards from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility and Mazon. Liebling also has spoken out for justice for people with disabilities, and his family was the subject of the award-winning documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Praying With Lior.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and Master of Arts in the history of American civilization, specializing in American progressive movements, from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. Liebling is a 1985 graduate of RRC.
He has published articles in many publications, including Tikkun, Israel Horizons, Jewish Currents and The Reconstructionist.
Most recently, he authored a chapter entitled "The Odyssey (Of a Jewish Man)" in the new book "Brother Keepers: New Perspectives on Jewish Masculinity," in which he describes his personal spiritual journey.
He was married to Rabbi Devora Bartnoff Liebling (July 3, 1952-April 30, 1997), who died age 44 after a two year struggle with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
; he is currently married to Lynne Iser.
Publications
- “Making Synagogues Vessels of Tikkun Olam,” The Reconstructionist Volume 68, Number 1 (Fall 2003)http://www.jewishjustice.org/download/section72/MakingoursynagoguesvesselsofTikkunOlam.pdf
- “Money in Synagogues,” Sh’ma March 2005 http://www.jewishjustice.org/download/section72/Moneyinsynagogues.pdf
- “Tzedakah Collectives,” socialaction.com http://www.jewishjustice.org/download/section72/Tzedakahcollectives.pdf
- “The First Jewish Shareholder Activist Group,” greenmoneyjournal.com http://www.jewishjustice.org/download/section72/Jewishshareholderactivistgroup.pdf
External links
- http://www.rrc.edu
- http://rabbinical-college.org/rabbi-mordecai-liebling
- http://www.youtube.com/rrcedu
- http://www.JewishJustice.org
- http://www.dantrachtman.com/lior/
- http://www4.jrf.org/