Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, RRC ‘90, was named to the BBC’s list of the world’s 100 most influential women. The recently retired spiritual leader of New York’s LGBTQ-oriented synagogue, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), was one of seven American women on the list.
The BBC noted that Kleinbaum, now CBST’s senior rabbi emerita and one of RRC’s most well-known graduates, “has spent three decades inspiring change at the intersection of LGBTQ+ rights and religion.”
Her star-studded retirement gala this past June included a speech by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The event highlighted her work on behalf of queer Jews and advocacy for immigrants. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Kleinbaum to the US Commision on International Religious Freedom.
Over the years, Kleinbaum has held influential leadership in New York City, including serving on the New York City Human Rights Commision and the mayor’s interfaith council.
She was the sole employee when she joined CBST and, over the decades, helped grow the congregation to more than 1,200 families and the budget from $40,000 to approximately $5 million. She guided the community from the harrowing AIDS crises of the early 90s to the legalization of gay marriage in 2015.
She is married to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. She has two daughters and two granddaughters.
