Senior Rabbi Aaron Meyer

Rabbi Aaron Meyer is in his 5th year with Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Known for his warmth and welcoming of interfaith families and all people, Rabbi Meyer brings to Temple a creative spirit and a willingness to engage with Jewish tradition to meet the changing practices and needs of the Jewish community. He is excited to engage congregants at every age and stage in active expressions of Jewish life: meaningful worship, active efforts to achieve social justice, distilling Jewish values for the thorny issues of our day, and so much more.

Rabbi Meyer is active in the South Hills interfaith community, building relationships and programming with our neighbors who share our values if not the particularistic expressions of our faith, and in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Rabbi-Priest Dialogue. He is committed to inclusiveness as a preeminent Jewish value. Rabbi Meyer also believes that Judaism cannot be contained in the ivory tower (The Cathedral of Learning?) of the synagogue but must inspire our actions in the broader world. He is committed to social justice and has an impressive track record of meaningful impact through his work, spearheading the Temple De Hirsch Sinai (where Rabbi Meyer served before returning to his roots in Western PA) Campaign for Gun Responsibility (which received a 2015 Fain Award from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism); advocating for better support for those experiencing homelessness; testifying before the Washington State and Federal legislature as a representative of the Jewish community on issues of criminal justice reform, gun responsibility, LGBTQ+ equality, a more just Farm Bill; and more. Rabbi Meyer was also co-chair of the Faith Action Network, Washington State’s largest interfaith coalition.

Rabbi Meyer earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from The Ohio State University — Go Bucks! — and a Master’s Degree and ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. While in rabbinical school, he participated in the U.S. Army Chaplain Candidate Program and did clinical pastoral education with Hebrew SeniorLife, the Harvard gerontology affiliate. Rabbi Meyer also holds a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Washington. He is married to Rabbi Emily Meyer and has two kids, Evelyn (7) and Eli (4). You may see him at the playground, walking his dog Camille, or throughout the community as an avid runner. Stop him to say hello or visit www.calendly.com/rabbimeyer to make time to talk!