“The Eternal Dissident”:  Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman and the Radical Imperative to Think and Act

Edited by David N. Myers

This volume, published in May 2018, offers a wide-angle perspective on one of the most brilliant, politically active, and controversial Reform rabbis of the latter half of the twentieth century, Leonard Beerman (1921–2014).  The book brings together Rabbi Beerman’s most important sermons and letters written over the course of his sixty-five year career.  These writings give eloquent voice to Beerman’s wide-ranging theological and political concerns: racial and economic inequality, nuclear disarmament, interfaith dialogue, and the quest for peace and justice in Israel-Palestine.  

A book launch event on June 7, 2018, brought together book editor Professor Myers and friends and colleagues of Rabbi Beerman to reflect on his remarkable career and its relevance to today. Guest speakers included Reverend Ed Bacon, Aziza Hasan, Mike Farrell, Salam al-Marayati, Professor Nomi Stolzenberg, and Rabbi Rachel Timoner.

Archive

UCLA has agreed to archive Rabbi Beerman's papers, and with financial assistance from the Foundation, will digitize them to create the first part of the “Spiritual Leaders of Los Angeles” collection at the UCLA Library. We look forward to sharing more information as this project progresses.