Rabbi Cassi Kail
http://www.rabbicassi.com • (718) 869-6673 • rabbicassi@gmail.com
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Professional Experience
Director of Jewish Life/University Chaplain, Chapman University, Orange, CA 2024-Present
- Strengthen Jewish campus life by supporting Hillel, Chabad, AEPI, SSI, and Jewish Athletes, mentoring student leaders, and fostering engagement across hundreds of participants.
- Oversee a range of programs and educational initiatives– from Torah and Tempo to HanukkahFest.
- Create inclusive, engaging Shabbat and holiday experiences rich in music, prayer, Torah, and creativity, strengthening community connection and ongoing engagement.
- Manage and expand Jewish programming in partnership with Hillel, including Shabbat, holiday, social, and educational events, doubling participation and enhancing community connection.
- Provide pastoral care, grief counseling, and crisis support for hundreds of students, faculty, and staff navigating personal, academic, and spiritual challenges.
- Founded a Jewish Faculty and Staff Support Group, providing a safe space for discussion, education, and community-building around antisemitism.
- Lead Israel advocacy initiatives, coaching students to successfully present to the University Board opposing divestment, organizing campus speakers, and promoting proud, nuanced Zionist expression.
- Direct campus antisemitism response and education initiatives, advising university administrators while coordinating with external partners to implement thoughtful, effective solutions.
- Expand Israel education and facilitate dialogue on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, promoting nuanced understanding and intergroup engagement.
- Build interfaith and communal partnerships through guest lecturing, invocations, compelling speakers, and strengthening Jewish and civic engagement across the university and beyond.
Instructor, Union of Reform Judaism 2024-Present
- Currently teaching my third 20-session Introduction to Judaism class on Zoom, for students from a wide array of backgrounds, from all over the world.
- Foster an open, supportive classroom where students engage deeply with Judaism and one another.
Community Rabbi 2023-Present
- Officiate personalized baby namings, weddings, and funerals, offering pastoral counseling and spiritual guidance for unaffiliated Jews in the area.
- Host robust Shabbat Potlucks in my home, filled with lively conversation, music, and prayer.
- Teach classes including Judaism 101, Torah Study, Hiking with Holiness, and workshops on Israel, Forgiveness, and Ethical Wills for local synagogues, high schools, and organizations.
- Recruited clergy throughout the Los Angeles area to gather Rabbis, Evangelical pastors, and Imams for interfaith dialogue, including for a 2-day conference in October 2023.
Rabbi, Temple Beth El, San Pedro, CA 2019–2023
Deepening Jewish Connection
- Cultivated deep connection and resilience within the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, through neighborhood connection groups, daily Zoom prayers, weekly Torah reflections, outdoor gatherings, and heartfelt conversation.
- Developed and led dozens of classes and learning experiences—from Prayer, Theology, and Mussar to Prophets, Israel, and Adult B’Mitzvah—each attracting participants eager to deepen their understanding and live their Judaism with purpose.
- Brought Jewish tradition to life through creative programs, including a B’Mitzvah “Hike Up Mt. Sinai,” a Sukkot offering about homelessness, Torah on the Trails, and monthly healing services.
- Crafted personalized rituals for baby namings, B’mitzvah, weddings, conversion ceremonies, going into remission, retirement, and other significant moments of transition.
- Partnered with the Director of Education to bring a camp-like atmosphere to the Torah school, support teachers, and create additional resources for students who fell behind during the pandemic.
- Collaborated with lay and professional leaders to design and execute a year-long centenary celebration, weaving together a gala, storytelling series, history book, and recorded reflections. These efforts both honored the congregation’s legacy and raised over $500,000 to sustain its future.
Leadership Development
- Created a task force to identify and implement opportunities to meet a diverse community’s needs.
- Supervised a team including an executive director, director of education, and cantorial soloist.
Community Relations
- Elevated the temple’s profile through organizational partnerships, community engagement, public speaking, and serving on faculty at Camp Newman.
- Built bridges across faith communities by traveling to Doha with the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, collaborating with Evangelical pastors and Imams to foster dialogue and support.
- Collaborated with neighborhood clergy to strengthen connections across faith communities through prayer, service projects, vigils, and youth programs.
Rabbinic Consultant, B’ShERT Temple: Brooklyn, NY 2018-2019
- Offered engaging classes, music at Shabbat services, interactive Tot Shabbat programs, and holiday celebrations, in partnership with the clergy team.
- Analyzed and provided guidance for the Temple’s religious school, enabling it to grow and adapt to the changing needs of temple families.
Interim Rabbi, Temple Or Elohim: Jericho, NY 2017-2018
- Planned and implemented joyful family programs from Hamentaschen making to Hanukkiah contests.
- Taught highly attended adult education classes on Torah, Mussar, and holidays.
- Partnered with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim clergy to create teen relationship-building events.
- Organized guest speaker series on topical issues, including immigration, racism, and anti-Semitism.
- Supervised a staff of four, creating organizational systems to enhance internal communication.
Rabbi, Temple Emanu-El: Utica, NY 2011-2017
Deepening Jewish Connection
- Fostered meaningful relationships with hundreds of Jews, through one-on-one meetings, Havdalah dinners, house meetings, pastoral visits, and home hospitality.
- Revitalized the adult education committee through collaborative listening, inspiring new offerings, leadership development, and expanding the scope of the committee’s work.
- Taught popular classes on topics including Torah, sacred eating, ethics, Pirkei Avot, and civil discourse.
- Rejuvenated family outreach through playgroups, Tot Shabbat, PJ Library, and parents’ coffee hour.
- Designed a religious school curriculum with family learning days, games, and communal celebrations.
- Led a multi-tiered project in partnership with the refugee center, which included partnership building, text study, speakers, trips, volunteer opportunities, advocacy work, and fundraisers.
- Led a ten-day intergenerational trip to Israel with twenty-two participants.
- Reinvigorated worship with thoughtful musical selections, guitar, and the creation of a temple band.
Leadership development
- Supervised and mentored the religious school coordinator, office manager, and teachers.
- Identified, encouraged, and supported new leadership.
- Spearheaded a collaborative visioning campaign to refocus congregational goals in alignment with the changing landscape of Utica Jewry.
Community Relations
- Frequently spoke at prayer breakfasts, interfaith events, churches, and community gatherings.
- Cultivated relationships with political leaders and served on the steering committee of the Utica Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI), the Jewish Community Federation of Utica, Reform Jewish Voice, and the Interfaith Coalition of Greater Utica.
- Led interfaith dialogue and community service initiatives in partnership with neighborhood clergy.
Additional Experience
Central Conference of American Rabbis Convention Committee
Chair (2027 Convention), Vice Chair (2026 Convention), Committee Member 2021-Present
- Providing strategic leadership for the CCAR committee, in partnership with CCAR staff. Guiding colleagues in designing and delivering a 4-day conference engaging hundreds of Reform rabbis.
Founding Board Member, Harbor Connects 2020-2024
- Partnered with fellow clergy, first responders, and community leaders to provide emergency microloans to prevent housing loss during the pandemic.
- Secured funding, hired staff, and expanded the organization’s mission to support both neighbors in need and frontline service providers, strengthening the community’s long-term resilience against poverty.
Co-Founder, The Wandering Jews of Astoria (WJOA) 2009-2011
- After identifying the need for young adult Jewish offerings, I created, marketed, and hosted a multi-denominational Shabbat gathering. Secured funding for a community Siddur.
- Grew this group from four initial members to 150 members over two years, providing a wide array of Jewish programming.
- Trained new leaders and fostered connections with shuls, organizations, and Jewish professionals as part of a succession plan. The group currently has over 500 active members.
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Professional Development
Facilitator Training, Resetting the Table, 2025-2026
Amplify Israel Rabbinic Fellowship, 2024-2025
Labyrinth Facilitator Training, Veriditas, 2025
Rabbi as Supervisor: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2021-2022
“Rabbinic Innovation Lab”: Center for Rabbinic Innovation (Atra), 2021
Engaging Families with Young Children Community of Practice, Union of Reform Judaism, 2012-2013
Community Organizing Training, Jewish Funds for Justice, Fall 2010
Rabbinical Student Delegation to Mexico, American Jewish World Service, 2010
Clinical Pastoral Education Level 1: Presbyterian Weill-Cornell Hospital, New York, NY, 2009
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Education
Rabbinical Ordination, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion: New York, NY, 2011
M.A in Hebrew Literature, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion: New York, NY, 2010
B.A. in Philosophy, University of Hartford: West Hartford, CT, 2004
Rabbi Cassi Kail 