Sharon Kleinbaum

Sharon Kleinbaum (born 1959) is an American rabbi who serves as spiritual leader of New York City's Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.

She has been an active campaigner for human rights and civil marriage for gay couples.

On July 30, 2021, President Biden announced plans to appoint Kleinbaum to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; presidential appointments to the commission do not require congressional approval.

Kleinbaum was born and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey.

She is a 1977 graduate of the Frisch School and graduated, cum laude, from Barnard College with a degree in political science in 1981.

While at Barnard College, she led protests against Barnard's investments in South Africa and against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

She is openly lesbian and has two daughters.

She received her ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1990.

Kleinbaum has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies.

She is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.

Kleinbaum was installed as CBST's first rabbi in 1992.

She is a prominent advocate for human rights.

In 1995, Kleinbaum, along with Rabbi Margaret Wenig and Russell Pearce, sent a resolution asking for support for civil marriage for gay couples to the Reform movement's Commission on Social Action; when it was approved by them, Wenig submitted it to the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which approved it in 1996.

She married Rabbi Margaret Wenig in 2008.

They later divorced.

Kleinbaum served on Mayor Bloomberg's Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Runaway and Homeless Youth and New York Police Department's LGBT Advisory Committee (2009-2010).

Kleinbaum has also served on Mayor de Blasio's Transition Committee (2013–2014), and the U.S. Department of State's Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group Sub-working Group on Social Justice (2014).

Kleinbaum married Randi Weingarten on March 25, 2018.

Kleinbaum was named one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America by Newsweek for several years, as well as one of Newsweek's 150 Women Who Shake the World.

She was also named one of the Top 10 Women Religious Leaders and one of the 15 Inspiring LGBT Religious Leaders by the Huffington Post.

She has also been named one of the country's top 50 Jewish leaders by the Forward and the New York Jewish Week, as well as being named one of Forward's Sisterhood 50 American Influential Rabbis and AM New York named her one of New York City's Most Influential Women for Women's Day.

Kleinbaum is a recipient of the Jewish Fund for Justice Woman of Valor Award.

Other awards she has received include:

Appointed by Senator Chuck Schumer, she served as a commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2019 to 2020.

She also serves on New York City's Commission on Human Rights, Mayor de Blasio's Faith Based Advisory Council, the board of New York Jewish Agenda, the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York, and is on the board of the New Israel Fund (NIF).