Spirit. Music. Tikkun Olam.
Healing the world one soul at a time,
because all of us matter.
Rabbi Jonathan Klein, a community rabbi with diverse skills in community-building and nonprofit management, serves as Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Bakersfield, where he leads Shabbat worship, teaches Pirkei Avot, and supports the spiritual journeys of the people of Bakersfield. He also serves the needs of members of Congregation B’nai Jacob, the Conservative Jewish synagogue of Bakersfield. In his capacity as a community rabbi, he also serves as an Instructor for the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning at Bakersfield College and performs lifecycle rituals throughout Southern California.
Rabbi Klein also founded and incorporated Faith Action for All: All People, All Animals, Our Whole Planet, a multi-faith organization devoted to advocating for animal welfare, social justice, and environmental sustainability, in 2012. This community development corporation began as an embodiment of Rabbi Klein’s commitment to veganism and animal welfare, but has grown include helping individuals survive the ravages of a brutal economy and advocate for policies that protect the working poor.
Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1997, Rabbi Klein previously served congregations in Flagstaff, Arizona and Rye, New York, directed The Union for Reform Judaism’s College Department (KESHER, 1997-2000) and served as the Allen and Ruth Ziegler Director of USC Hillel (2000-8) along with a year at Progressive Jewish Alliance (2008-9). Rabbi Klein served as the Executive Director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (2009-18), building it into a Southern California advocacy powerhouse, ensuring that religious leaders bring their moral authority and centuries-old traditions to the defense of low income Angelenos and beyond. Rabbi Klein also served as Executive Director at Beth Chayim Chadashim (2018-2020), a predominantly LGBTQ+ synagogue in Los Angeles, and worked briefly on Michael Bloomberg’s run for President in 2020 prior to his arrival at Temple Beth El.
Rabbi Klein currently serves as Treasurer on the national board of Interreligious Network for Worker Solidarity. Previously, he served as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles City’s Commission on Revenue Generation, having been appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (2018-2020). He has also served on the boards of the ACLU of Southern California and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, among others. Rabbi Klein was also formerly an elected delegate to the California Democratic Party, representing Assembly District 51 where he lives.
While Rabbi Klein holds a progressive worldview, he is also a staunch promoter of bipartisanship and pluralism (see the attached text study): “Gandhi teaches that no one religion has the absolute truth; all religions are needed to obtain absolute truth. So, too, no one political perspective captures the totality of right and wrong. It is incumbent upon all of us to wake up to the wisdom of those with completely different worldviews.”
Rabbi Klein of course officiates at lifecycle events, including weddings, baby namings, funerals, and unveilings. A songleader, music enthusiast, and lover of Jewish mysticism, he is the proud parent of his 23 year-old Bruin-turn Brandeis PhD student son Rachmiel ("Rocky"), his 20 year-old daughter and wildly successful recording artist Kinneret, and his 15 year-old daughter and nachas machine Zimra Klein. Rabbi Klein personally practices and promotes veganism and permaculture from his home in Los Angeles.
“God requires the heart.”