Joshua Ratner
Rabbi Joshua Ratner is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in Cheshire, CT. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2012, Rabbi Ratner was a Joseph Neubauer Fellow and also earned a Master's Degree in Midrash and a Certificate in Pastoral Care. He also worked as an attorney for five years prior to entering rabbinical school. Rabbi Ratner is passionate about the interplay between Judaism, public policy, and American culture. He has received training in congregation-based community organizing and was part of the original rabbinical student cohort of Rabbis Without Borders fellows. He and his wife, Dr. Elena Ratner, are the proud parents of Dimitri, Eli, and Gabriella.
Articles by Joshua Ratner
What Is The Torah We Want To Celebrate Today?
Today we celebrate the holiday of Simhat Torah. Literally meaning “rejoicing in Torah,” the holiday is a culmination both of ...
The Challenge of Modern Jewish Practice (or An Elul Apology)
The phone rang loudly in our house. My middle son jumped up and dashed to get it, picked up the ...
Lessons From Teaching My Daughter To Swim
I remember vividly the horror I felt seeing my daughter sinking below the surface of a pool two summers ago. ...
A Vision Of Judaism For My Newborn Daughter
This past week my wife and I were blessed to welcome our fourth child into this world. There are so ...
A True Sports Hero — And A Mentsch
It’s getting hard to find role models in sports these days. Especially in the National Football League, where stars such ...
Yom Hazikaron in the USA: What Israel’s Memorial Day Can Teach Us About The Holidays
Have you ever been abroad on Memorial Day? If so, have you even noticed that it was Memorial Day? Did ...
Gasping For Air In Israeli Discourse
I love the ocean. Whether surfing or just playing in the waves, as a native Californian, I feel at home ...
Are Synagogues Outsourcing Tikkun Olam?
These are exciting times for Jewish social justice. This past week, an interfaith group of ministers, led in part by the ...
The Pathos of Exodus: What Hollywood Blockbusters Have To Do With Ferguson and Giving Tuesday
My boys are getting psyched for the upcoming release of the blockbuster Exodus: Gods And Kings . Exodus promises to ...
What Can Zionism Teach Us On Election Day?
Today likely is going to be a rough day for liberals. Election prognosticators are predicting that Republicans will win enough ...