William E. Kaufman

William E. Kaufman is an American Conservative Jewish rabbi, philosopher, theologian and author. His 1991 book, The Case for God, was perhaps the first book written on Jewish process theology.[1]

Education

Kaufman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959, and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1964. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston University in 1971.[1] He received an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1990.

Rabbinic career

From 1964–1967 he was Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1967 he assumed the rabbinical post at Congregation B’nai Israel in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where he served until 1980. From 1980–1982 he was Rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in San Antonio Texas. In 1982 he was installed as Rabbi at Temple Beth El in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he served until his retirement in November 2005. Upon his retirement, he was named Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth El.[2]

He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis.

He married Nathalie Levin in 1965. They have a son, Ari, a daughter, Beth, and four grandchildren: Maisie, Josephine (Josie), Gabriel and Ryan.

Works

He has published many articles in Judaism (quarterly journal), Conservative Judaism (quarterly journal), The Reconstructionist (quarterly journal), and The Jewish Spectator (newspaper.)

One of his projects has been to create a Jewish process theology, viewing Jewish theology through the panentheistic process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.

Bibliography

  • Kaufman, William E. (1976). Contemporary Jewish Philosophies. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-2429-0.
  • Kaufman, William E. (1980). Journeys: An introductory guide to Jewish Mysticism. Bloch Pub. Co. ISBN 0-8197-0482-2.
  • Kaufman, William E. (1991). The Case for God. Chalice Press. ISBN 0-8272-0458-2.
  • Kaufman, William E.; Shor, Morton (1994). A Question of Faith: An atheist and a rabbi debate the existence of God. Jason Aronson Inc. ISBN 1-56821-089-2.
  • Kaufman, William E. (1996). John Wild: From Realism to Phenomenology. P. Lang. ISBN 0-8204-2796-9.
  • Kaufman, William E. (1997). The Evolving God in Jewish Process Theology. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 0-7734-8648-8.
  • Metaphors for God: A Response Conservative Judaism (journal), Volume 51, No. 2, 1999, The Rabbinical Assembly.

References

  1. 1 2 Kaufman, William E. "Mordecai M. Kaplan and Process Theology: Metaphysical and Pragmatic Perspectives (author bio)". Religion Online. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "The Bulletin of Temple Beth El, Fall River, Massachusetts" (PDF). Temple Beth El. January 2011. p. 2. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
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