Rabbi Neal Gold
The Challenge of Jewish Peoplehood Today
Since the days of the Torah, Judaism has challenged us to think of ourselves as members of a religious nation. “Jewish Peoplehood” is an endangered idea today—at a time when it is more important than ever.
Rabbi Neal Gold teaches and writes about Jewish texts, Israel, and the intersections between spiritual life and the contemporary world. He is the Founder and Director of “A Tree with Roots”, an online platform for spirited Jewish learning. He is adjunct faculty Hebrew College in Boston, where he teaches courses on Bible, Rabbinic Judaism, early Zionism, and Jewish thought. For many years he served as the Jewish Chaplain and Hillel Director at Babson College.
Rabbi Gold is the Immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis. In 2021, he became a JJGI (J.J. Greenberg Institute for Advancement of Jewish Life) Fellow at Hadar Institute.
Rabbi Gold received smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he received a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa in 2022. In 2018 he earned a second Master’s Degree from Brandeis University. He is the author of many academic and popular writings about Judaism and Israel, and is the editor of Radiance: The Collected Prose and Poetry of Danny Siegel (JPS, 2020).
For over 18 years Rabbi Gold served congregations in New Jersey and Massachusetts (including 8 years at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple!). He also served as the Director of Content & Programming for ARZA and was a delegate at the 37th World Zionist Congress. Neal lives in Massachusetts with his wife Heidi Gold and their children Avi and Jeremy.
