Rabbi Leila Gal Berner is the founding rabbi of Kol Ami, serving the congregation from 2000 to 2016. She was ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and also received ordination from R’ Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l. She taught at Reed College, Swarthmore College and Emory University, and was for a decade Scholar-in-Residence in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at American University in Washington D.C.
At the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Rabbi Leila has been Chair of the Jewish History Department, Director of Studies, and a Member of the Academic VAAD. She was the Founding Director of the Center for Jewish Ethics at the college. Having spent extensive time in Spain researching the Jewish history of the Spanish Reconquista, her doctorate from UCLA is in medieval Jewish history. She has published widely on the creation of new feminist rituals and is a pioneer in Jewish contemplative practice, authoring the seminal book, Listening to the Heart of Genesis: A Contemplative Path.
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