Ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2003, Rabbi Maurice Harris is Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist at Reconstructing Judaism. Previously, Maurice served as Associate Rabbi and Head of School at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, OR. Maurice is the author of three books: Moses: A Stranger Among Us (2012), Leviticus: You Have No Idea (2013), and The Forgotten Sage: Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and the Birth of Judaism as We Know It (2019), all from Cascade Books. He blogs at theaccidentalrabbi.substack.com.
He is married to Melissa Crabbe, and they have two children, Clarice Harris and Hunter Harris.
Rabbi Maurice Harris, Reconstructing Judaism’s Israel Affairs Specialist writes this memo to Reconstructionist communities discussing the events of Oct. 7, the International Court of Justice preliminary ruling on the genocide accusation, the future of what Israel will look like, and reminds us how we can help in this moment.
A Message from Reconstructing Judaism’s Israel Affairs Specialist, Rabbi Maurice Harris: On December 17, 2023, I led a webinar for members of Reconstructionist congregations called
Rabbi Maurice Harris, Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist, researched and compiled this report on the breadth and variety of Israel-related activities taking place in many different organizational arenas across the Reconstructionist movement from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022.
This resource is an opportunity to learn about Israeli culture, history and modern achievements by exploring its postage stamps. These stamps were collected over the
As Israel Affairs Specialist at Reconstructing Judaism, I have many conversations with people across the movement about Israel. Given how fast events have been developing
This four-part series of video presentations is based on an online course developed by Rabbi Maurice Harris, Reconstructing Judaism’s Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist. The video recordings of the four 90-minute sessions offered below were presented in February 2024 as part of a program sponsored by West End Synagogue (New York, NY, USA). There is also a “bonus” supplemental video about the impacts of Stalin and the USSR on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict included below.
Rabbi Maurice Harris shares the moving story of welcoming new Jews through conversion —on a Reconstructionist beit din in the Netherlands.
Digital resources on synagogue security and related issues, as shared with Reconstructionist communities in late April of 2019.
The Joint Israel Commission gathered in person at the Reconstructing Judaism convention. Rabbi Maurice Harris reports on their activities and next steps.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
