Rabbi Steven Z. Leder
With a
cum laude degree in writing from Northwestern University, Rabbi Leder studied at Trinity College, Oxford, before receiving his master’s degree in Hebrew letters from Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati in 1986. He was ordained in 1987.
In addition to his duties as senior rabbi at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Rabbi Leder teaches homiletics at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles, and has published essays in
Reform Judaism and the
Los Angeles Times. His Torah commentaries in the
Los Angeles Jewish Journal have been read weekly by over 50,000 people.
His first book,
The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things, received national acclaim and brought him appearances on ABC's
Politically Incorrect and NPR's
All Things Considered. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein called him “everything we search for in a modern wise man; learned, kind, funny, and non-judgmental, he offers remarkably healing guidance ... he finds the true fabric of our spiritual lives."
His second book,
More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul (Bonus Books, 2004) drew favorable attention in the
New York Times, Town and Country magazine, numerous newspapers, television programs and on NPR.
The American Jewish Press Association selected him for their Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary, and he is a fellow in the British-American Project, a think tank that brings together leaders from America and Great Britain.
He is among the national figures interviewed for Charles Barkley’s book about race in America,
Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? (Berkley, 2005). For his work in promoting African-American/Jewish dialogue, he has received the Religious Action Center’s Kovler Award.
Most important, he is married to Betsy and father to Aaron and Hannah. He is also a Jew who likes to fish. Go figure.
