About

Rabbi John L. Rosove is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles where he served as Senior Rabbi from 1988 to 2019. He is a national co-Chair of the Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet of J Street, a past National Chairman of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) representing 1.5 million Reform Jews, and a member of the International Advisory Council for the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (AIC).

John is the author of three books –

From the West to the East – A Memoir of a Liberal American Rabbi (Fresno: West of West Center, 2024) – available (Spring 2024) from the publisher

Why Israel and its Future Matters – Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to the Next Generation with an Afterword by Daniel and David Rosove  (New Jersey: Ben Yehuda Press, 2023) with a new Foreword written after October 7, 2023 – available from the publisher and at Amazon.com.

Why Judaism Matters – Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to his Children and the Millennial Generation with an Afterword by Daniel and David Rosove (Nashville: Jewish Lights Publishing, a division of Turner Publishing Company, 2017) available at the publisher and at Amazon.com.

John is a co-editor of Deepening the Dialogue – Jewish-Americans and Israelis Envisioning the Jewish-Democratic State (New York: CCAR Press, 2020), in English and Hebrew.

John translated and edited the Hebrew biography of his Great-granduncle – Avraham Shapira – Veteran of the Haganah and Hebrew Guard by Getzel Kressel (publ. by the Municipality of Petach Tikvah, 1955). The translation was privately published (2021).

John also translated and edited a book of Hebrew poetry, letters and writings by his Israeli cousin Michael Shapira (1933-1952) called In the Prime of his Days with an Introduction by Hebrew University Professor Yosef Yoel Rivlin, Michael’s cousin and the father of the former President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin (published by Michael’s parents, Devorah and Yitzchak-Tzvi Shapira of Petach Tikvah, 1953). The volume was given to John by Michael’s parents in 1973. The translation was privately published (2022).

John was the 2002 Recipient of the World Union for Progressive Judaism International Humanitarian Award and has received special commendation from the State of Israel Bonds. In 2013 he was honored by J Street at its Fifth Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles.

John wrote a series of 8 Jewish Life Cycle Guides. The Guide Preparing for Jewish Burial and Mourning appears on the web-site of Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles. (http://hillsidememorial.org/jewish-lifecycle-guide/).

John writes a regular blog that appears at The Times of Israel at ​https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/john-l-rosove/ and this blog – https://rabbijohnrosove.blog/. His Facebook site is  www.facebook.com/RabbiJohnLRosove

John is married to Barbara. They are the parents of two sons – Daniel and David. Daniel is married to Marina. John and Barbara have two grandchildren and live in Los Angeles.