Welcome to the Rabbi's Study

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the spiritual leader of Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Before arriving in Pasadena in 2003, he served a pulpit in Kingston, NY and was a Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York City. He currently serves on several boards, including Jewish World Watch, a synagogue based consortium that focuses on genocide, primarily in Darfur and Congo; the executive committee of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California; and on the National Advisory Board of J-Street, as well as being a member of the advisory board of Just Vision. He is also currently chair of a local interfaith organization, Abrahamic Faith Peacemaking Initiative, which he helped found in 2004.

Rabbi Grater is a deep believer in the goodness of humanity and has spent his entire career working on peace in the Middle East, economic and social justice issues here in America and in interfaith coalitions. He has a regular blog on The Huffington Post, is a contributor to the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, and has been published widely on many different websites and blogs.

Rabbi Grater is a teacher, preacher, community activist, husband and father. He plays percussion, is a trained Jewish meditation instructor, skilled and accomplished prayer leader and an avid sports fan. When he is not leading his congregation, teaching Torah, working to make peace or bringing people together for dialogue, he likes to read, hike with the family, play with his kids, ride his motorcycle and shoot hoops.