New York, NY

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum served for 32 years as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City — the largest LGBTQ+ synagogue in the world, for people of all sexual identities and genders — where she is now Senior Rabbi Emerita. Rabbi Kleinbaum was installed as CBST’s first rabbi in 1992, arriving at the height of the AIDS crisis when the synagogue was in desperate need of pastoral care and spiritual leadership.

Rabbi Kleinbaum guided the CBST congregation through loss and change while addressing social issues and building a strong and deeply spiritual community. Under her leadership, CBST became a powerful voice in the movement for equality and justice for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and a significant force challenging the radical right’s dominance over religious and political life in the United States and around the world.

For many years, Rabbi Kleinbaum has been named by Newsweek among the 50 most influential rabbis in America. The BBC also named her one of its 100 Women of 2024. She has long been involved in the fight for human rights for all people. President Joseph R. Biden appointed Rabbi Kleinbaum a Commissioner to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. She is a Commissioner on New York City’s Commission on Human Rights and serves on Mayor Eric Adam’s Faith-Based Advisory Council. Rabbi Kleinbaum is also a member of the Executive Committee of Governor Hochul’s Office of Faith and Non-Profit Development Services.