Harold Kushner

Harold Kushner
Harold Kushner
Born	1935; Brooklyn, New York, United States
Occupation(s)	Rabbi, Conservative Judaism; Author, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

Harold S. Kushner is a prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism.

Education

Born in Brooklyn, Kushner was educated at Columbia University and later obtained his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 1960. The same institution awarded him a doctoral degree in Bible in 1972. Kushner has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, taught at Clark University and the Rabbinical School of the JTS, and received six honorary doctorates.

Congregational Rabbi

He served as the long time congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick, in Natick, Massachusetts for twenty-four years and belongs to the Rabbinical Assembly.

Author

He is the author of a best selling book on the problem of evil, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Written following the death of his son, Aaron, from the premature aging disease, progeria, the book deals with questions about human suffering, God, Omnipotence and Theodicy.

Kushner has written a number of other popular theological books, such as How Good Do We Have to Be? (Dedicated to his grandson, Carl), To Life! and many others. In collaboration with the late Chaim Potok, Kushner co-edited Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary, the new official Torah commentary of the Conservative movement, which was jointly published in 2001 by the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Publication Society. His Living a Life That Matters became a best seller in the fall of 2001. Kushner's book, The Lord Is My Shepherd, was a meditation on the Twenty-Third Psalm released in 2003. Kushner also wrote a response to Simon Wiesenthal's question of forgiveness in the book The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness.

List of publications

Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World

This book published in 2009, is a theological piece that addresses fears of terrorism, natural disasters, rejection, growing old and offer suggestions on how best to cope, ultimately living with purpose and differentiating between God and nature.

Faith & Family: Favorite Sermons of Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

This book is was published in October 2007

Practice Random Acts of Kindness: Bring More Peace, Love, And Compassion...

This book was published in 2007

Overcoming Life's Disappointments

This book was published in 2006

The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm

This book was published in 2003

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough: The Search for a Life That Matters

This book was published in 2002

Who Needs God

This book was published in 2002

Living a Life That Matters: Resolving the Conflict Between Conscience and Success

This book was published in 2001

How Good Do We Have to Be? A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness

This book was published in 1997

When Children ask about God: A Guide for Parents Who Don't Always Have All the Answers

This book was published in 1995

To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking

This book was published in 1994

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

This book was published in 1981

Miscellaneous

Kushner offered a reading from the Bible at the State Funeral of Ronald Reagan in the Washington National Cathedral on June 11, 2004.

In 2007 Rabbi Kushner was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jewish Book Council.

External links