Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner: Recent Writings, Remarks, and Media Appearances

Rabbi Jonah Pesner Speaks at the Sukkah of Hope VIP Vigil

Rabbi Jonah Pesner led the Mourner’s Kaddish at the Sukkah of Hope commemoration of October 7, 2025, sponsored by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Bring Them Home Now.

Watch the video Read his speech

Photo of Rabbi Jonah Pesner Speaking at the Sukkah of Hope VIP Vigil

Rabbi Jonah Pesner Speaks at Voting Rights Rally Outside the U.S. Supreme Court

Rabbi Jonah Pesner spoke at a major rally outside the United States Supreme Court as Justices heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, a landmark voting rights case focused on racial gerrymandering and the future of the Voting Rights Act. Check out photos and a transcript of his remarks.

- October 15, 2025

Photo of Rabbi Jonah Pesner interviewed on Scripps News

Rabbi Jonah Pesner Responds to the IRS's Move on Political Endorsements

Rabbi Jonah Pesner reacts to a surprise move by the IRS that would allow pastors to back political candidates from the pulpit without losing their organization’s tax-exempt status.

- July 10, 2025

2022

Rabbi Pesner Addresses Roundtable on Antisemitism at the White House - December 7, 2022
#DontLookAway Rally - Rabbi Pesner gives an impassioned speech for Congress to protect communities from gun violence at Everytown’s #DontLookAway Rally on Wednesday, June 15, outside the U.S. Capitol, June 7, 2022
The Poor People's Campaign Moral Assembly Press Conference to call for a White House meeting with representatives of the 140 million poor and low-income people in the country and to announce a host of new partners that are joining and busloads of people that are coming after over a year of planning - June 6, 2022
RAC Facebook Live - Rabbi Pesner speaks with Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America. The two discuss career work, world views and his new book entitled Time to Build. - June 2, 2022
i24 News Interview on Gun Violence and Gun Control - May 27, 2022
Rabbi Jonah Pesner Speaking with Rabbi Julia Gris - Rabbi Pesner, meets with Rabbi Julia Gris, the Reform rabbi of Congregation Shirat Ha-Yam in Odessa, Ukraine to hear her story of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Like many of her congregants, she fled and is now taking refuge in Germany. - May 13, 2022
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Social Justice and Foreign Policy Webinar: Religion and Voting Rights - April 14, 2022
HUC Connect: More Than a Monolith - April 5, 2022
Rep. Levin and Ukraine Caucus Solidarity Event - February 28, 2022
Faith Vigil for Peace in Ukraine - Episcopal Church and Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), February 23, 2022
Sermon for Reproductive Shabbat at The Temple in Atlanta, GA - Rabbi Pesner gives a sermon for The Temple in Atlanta, GA on the importance of reproductive rights, voting rights, and interfaith solidarity. - January 28, 2022
The Social Justice Torah Commentary - Read Rabbi Pesner's Afterword to The Social Justice Commentary by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. - CCAR Press- 2022
Anti-Defamation League Facebook Live - Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism and The ADL, January 2022

2021

Build Back Better press conference, December 15, 2021
Select Committee on Economic Disparity & Fairness in Growth Roundtable: "Bipartisan Economic Roundtable with National Faith Leaders," November 15, 2021
Dayton Unit NAACP NAACP 70th ANNUAL FREEDOM FUND AWARDS 10 SECOND BREAKS SENDABLE, October 23, 2021
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Religious Action Center, Reform Judaism, Build Back Better Capitol Hill, October 20, 2021
"What's At Stake?" and "Know Your Rights" - Faith Leaders Voter Protection Webinar, June 28th, 2021
Healing, Hope, Action: The Capitol Insurrection - Where Do We Go From Here? - URJ Facebook, January 13, 2021
Interfaith Prayer Service of Reflection, Lament, and Hope - National Council of Churches YouTube, January 15, 2021
Confronting the Machinery of Hate: White Supremacy, White Nationalism, and Antisemitism - Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC MLK Shabbat, January 15, 2021
Rabbi Pesner at National Day of Racial Healing Event - January 19, 2021
Songs for the Journey with Cantor Jason Kaufman, Elana Arian & Eric Schnobrick - Beth El Congregation, Alexandria, VA Facebook, January 30, 2021
Celebrating Lessons Learned: Stories from a Lifetime of Organizing, the new book by Arnie Graf - RAC Facebook Live, February 8, 2021

Sermons Delivered at Chautauqua Institution, July 2021:

Series of conversations related to Every Voice, Every Vote: The Reform Movement’s 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign:

Conversation about voting rights and the 2020 election with President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights Vanita Gupta. - RAC Facebook Live, May 27, 2020
Conversation about the threat of white supremacy in the U.S. with Eric K. Ward, Executive Director of the Western States Center - RAC Facebook Live, June 3, 2020
Conversation about faith and the 2020 election, and how faith communities are mobilizing voters around economic and racial justice issues with Reverend William J. Barber II, president and lecturer at Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign.- RAC Facebook Live, June 9, 2020
Conversation about responding to systemic racial injustice and what’s at stake in the 2020 election with Ilana Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jews of Color Field Building Initiative.- RAC Facebook Live, June 15, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and its impact on issues we care about, including reproductive justice, racial justice, the Courts and more, with Sheila Katz, CEO of National Council of Jewish Women.- RAC Facebook Live, June 24, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and how it intersects with our fight for justice with Valarie Kaur - civil rights lawyer, activist, innovator, and award-winning filmmaker - RAC Facebook Live, July 28, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and how it intersects with the fight for justice and equity for women and girls with Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center - RAC Facebook Live, September 3, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and how it intersects with the plight of refugees and asylum seekers with Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of HIAS - RAC Facebook Live, September 10, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and how it intersects with our fight for justice with John C. Yang, the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) - RAC Facebook Live, September 17, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and the right to vote with Desmond Meade, the president and executive director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition - RAC Facebook Live, October 1, 2020
Conversation about the importance of the youth vote with former Ambassador Alan Solomont, Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University - RAC Facebook Live, October 8, 2020

2020

What Will You Do at Such a Time as This - ReformJudaism.org, January 1, 2020
The Jewish Imperative for Justice in the Face of Pandemic - RAC Blog, March 17, 2020
Stay Home, Stay Focused with Rabbi Jack Moline - Interfaith Alliance, April 21, 2020
Reform Jewish Group Kicks off Mobilization Efforts - AP News, May 19, 2020
Ways Your Congregation Can Act Now for Racial Justice - URJ Inside Leadership, June 1, 2020
Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Interfaith National Eulogy & Remembrance to recognize the more than 106,00 Americans who have died from COVID-19 - June 10, 2020
B’nai Torah Shabbat Supporting Black Lives Matter - Jewish Boston, June 10, 2020
With Public Lamenting Comes Hope: A Conversation with Rev. William J. Barber II - ReformJudaism.org, June 18, 2020
Interview w/ Rabbi Meyer to talk about Reform Jewish efforts in support of racial injustice, the Civic Engagement Campaign, and more. - June 22, 2020
Where do we go from Here: To the Polls
National Civil Rights Museum and Keepers of 306 Virtual Town Hall - June 30, 2020
High courts spark new cases over church state separation - The Philadelphia Tribute, July 4, 2020
Interview with Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz about the Reform Movement’s Civic Engagement Campaign, RAC-FL and Black Lives Matter. - Temple Beth Sholom Miami Beach FL, July 8, 2020
Conversation about civic engagement and how it intersects with our fight for justice, with Valarie Kaur – civil rights lawyer, activist, innovator, and award-winning filmmaker. - RAC Facebook Live, July 28, 2020
Seekers of Meaning - Jewish Sacred Aging, August 7, 2020
Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: The Fierce Urgency of Now - CCAR/ RAC webinar, August 10, 2020
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner on Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – “Loving The Stranger” - The Rabbi's Husband podcast, September 17, 2020
Prayer Service for U.S. Elections - October 7, 2020
WISC Webinar on Election Security - October 15, 2020
Fighting Voter Suppression with Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner - Episcopal Divinity School at Union Facebook Live, October 29, 2020
World Jewish Congress-Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Right Alliance Panel - Facebook Live, November 18, 2020
Cannon's Class with the RAC - Podcast with Nick Cannon, December 15, 2020

2019

Rabbi Jonah Pesner speaks with Newsy's Alex Miller about anti-Semitism, bigotry, and white supremacy in America -- and what we can do to reverse the tide of hatred. - January 15, 2019
Epiphany Power Hour: Conversation with Rev. Glenna Hubber Rector of the Church of the Epiphany about Faith and Justice Work - February 14, 2019
A Conversation Between Rabbi Jonah Pesner and Jess Becker, NFTY Social Action Vice President-elect - NFTY Blog, March 19, 2019
Birmingham’s Perspective on the Religious Dive - Birmingham Times, June 20, 2019
Brown Bag Lunch Talk: The Ancient and Timeless Legend of the Exodus: Lessons for Our Own Lives - The Everette Jewish Life Center, July 23, 2019
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly - August 8, 2019
Jews Call for Justice for the Rohingya Genocide - American Jewish World Service Blog, August 21, 2019
MSNBC’s Politics Nation with Al Sharpton to discuss President Trump’s recent rhetoric about American Jews - August 26, 2019
Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: Our Jewish Obligation to Social Justice - CCAR Press 2019

2018

We Must Condemn Hatred, Curb Gun Violence to Reclaim Our Country - The Hill, with NAACP President Derrick Johnson, November 16, 2018
Reflecting on the Historic 2018 Midterm Election - RAC blog, November 7, 2018
Jewish Groups Escalate Call For Assault Rifle Ban After Shooting ‘Proved Our Worst Fears’ - Huffington Post, October 31, 2018
Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Where We Should Go From Here to End the Violence - WJLA News, October 30, 2018
Silence and Solidarity: Reflections from Pittsburgh - RAC blog, October 30, 2018
Rabbi Jonah Pesner speaks to MSNBC about Pittsburgh synagogue shooting - October 28, 2018
The Dream Still Demands - Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference Prayer Breakfast, September 17, 2018
#FamiliesBelongTogether, and We Won't Stand for Anything Less - ReformJudaism.org, June 21, 2018
May God Remember Rabbi Aaron Panken, z"l - Remarks at the URJ North American Board Meeting, June 12, 2018
Ensuring Jewish Voices and Values in the Public Square - URJ Inside Leadership, June 4, 2018
Remarks at the Poor People's Campaign 40 Days of Moral Action - May 21, 2018
6 Ways to Strengthen Social Justice Work in Your Congregation – and Strengthen Your Congregation in the Process - URJ Inside Leadership, with Amy Asin, May 15, 2018
Remarks at the Faith in Public Life Press Conference to Defend SNAP - May 7, 2018
Heeding the sacred call to give santuary to the vulnerable - RNS, with Pastor Traci Blackmon, April 18, 2018
Remarks at the Rally to End Racism - April 4, 2018
March for Our Lives Interfaith Prayer Vigil at the National Cathedral - Remarks and call to prayer, March 23, 2018
We Are Our Brothers' and our Sisters' Keepers: Parkland, Grief, and Action - Sermon at the NFTY-STR Spring Kallah, March 16, 2018
Let My People Stay - Remarks before engaging in Jewish civil disobedience in support of the Dream Act, January 17, 2018

2017

A Rabbi and a DACA recipient call for the Dream Act - Medium, December 19, 2017
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner on #Reformation500 - Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, December 17, 2017
11th Annual ADL-New England Woman of Valor Invocation - November 3, 2017
Ending DACA Is Immoral. We American Jews Are Already Fighting It - Haaretz, September 7, 2017
Reverend and rabbi: Removing symbols of racism isn’t enough, we need policy action - Washington Post, with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, September 5, 2017
Speak Up, Judge Righteously, Stand With the Poor: The Jewish Imperative for economic justice Spirit and Capital in an Age of Inequality, 2017

2016

Channeling Our Good and Bad Impulses - Sh'ma Now, December 13, 2016
After the Flood - Sermon, North American Board Meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism, San Francisco, CA, November 4, 2016
As Jews Atone on Yom Kippur, we need to confront our white privilege - Washington Post, October 11, 2016
Nitzavim: Standing Up for Voter Protection and Participation - Sermon, Nitzavim Voting Rights Initiative Launch, Raleigh, NC, August 18, 2016 [YouTube]
Elie Wiesel calls us to pursue justice - Boston Globe, July 4, 2016
Today Is World Refugee Day. What Are Jews Doing About It? - Forward, June 20, 2016
Why our Jewish and Christian faiths demand criminal justice reform - Religion News Service, May 5, 2016 A Community, Not Simply a Coalition
My Neighbor's Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation, 2012

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Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner (he/him) represents the Reform Movement to Congress and the administration as the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He also serves as the senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism. Named one of the most influential rabbis in America, he has been an inspirational leader, creative entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for social justice.

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