William E. Kaufman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William E. Kaufman is a rabbi, a philosopher, and an author of several books and academic articles.

He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis.

Rabbi Kaufman graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1964. He was Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline Massachusetts from 1964-1967. In 1967 he assumed the rabbinical post at Congregation Bnai Israel in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where he served until 1980. From 1980-82 he was Rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in San Antonio, Texas. In 1982 he was installed as Rabbi at Temple Beth El in Fall River, Massachusetts where he served until his retirement in November 2005. Upon his retirement, he was named Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth El.

Rabbi Kaufman received a doctorate in philosophy from Boston University in 1971, and an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1990.

He has published many articles in Judaism (quarterly journal), Conservative Judaism (quarterly journal), The Reconstructionist (quarterly journal), and The Jewish Spectator (newspaper.)

One of his projects has been to create a Jewish process theology, i.e. his works view Jewish theology through the panentheistic process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.

Rabbi Kaufman married Nathalie Levin in 1965. They have a son, Ari, and a daughter, Beth.

[edit] Publications

• Contemporary Jewish Philosophies
• Journeys: An Introductory Guide to Jewish Mysticism ISBN 0-8197-0482-2
• The Case for God, Chalice Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8272-0458-2
• A Question of Faith: An Atheist and a Rabbi Debate the Existence of God With Morton Shor. Jason Aronson Inc., 1994
• The Evolving God in Jewish Process Theology (Jewish Studies, Vol 17) Edwin Mellen Press, NY 1997. ISBN 0-7734-8648-8
• Metaphors for God: A Response Conservative Judaism (journal), Volume 51, No.2, 1999, The Rabbinical Assembly