About Us

Rabbi Melissa Weintraub

BA Political Theory and Women's Studies, Harvard University
Rabbinic Ordination, Jewish Theological Seminary
Pardes Institute, Fellow

Keva Group Topics: Jewish Ethics of War; Gender and Judaism; Introduction to Jewish Mysticism; Jewish Approaches to Conflict Resolution and Peace-building; the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Torah portion of the week

Rabbi Melissa Weintraub is an educator, facilitator, consultant, and trainer whose primary work focuses on building civil discourse around polarized, wedge issues in the American Jewish community. Melissa was the founding director of Encounter, an organization dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be agents of change in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Melissa built Encounter from the ground up to a million dollar, internationally recognized organization with a staff of nine and offices on two continents. In 2011, Melissa was awarded the Grinnell Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize (which has been called the Social Change MacArthur “Genius Grant”) in recognition of her contributions and impact as a young social entrepreneur. An alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program, Melissa was ordained as a Conservative Rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary and has represented the Seminary as a Rabbinic Fellow in Conservative communities throughout the country. A noted speaker and educator, she has lectured and taught in an array of conferences, synagogues, and adult education settings on four continents.

Rabbi Weintraub is the author of several articles treating the ethics of war and peace in Jewish sources.