Rabbi Greg Harris

Being a rabbi is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I could ever imagine. I am continually blessed to be able to discover and share the incredible insights of our Jewish tradition with people. People frequently ask me, in one way or another, is Judaism relevant in this modern, complex, pressured time? My answer is that through conversations, study, community encounters, culture, and other modes, Judaism’s message is as relevant in our time as every earlier period.

I invite you into our community to live Judaism’s important message of hope and compassion with an orientation to fulfilling our partnership with God to perfect God’s Creation: our world.

Biography

Rabbi Greg Harris is Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County.  He has a passion for social justice and interfaith activities. Beyond his many responsibilities at the congregation, Rabbi Harris is a Past President of the Washington Board of Rabbis, Founding Chair of the Pastoral Care Committee at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Board member for Camp Ramah in New England, served on the Community & Global Impact Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington (JFGW), and has served on the Board of Interfaith Works, a non-profit organization working with at-risk families in Montgomery County.

Rabbi Harris was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2002 where he was the recipient of the Dr. Michael Higger Prize in Talmud.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from The American University in Washington, D.C. and later a certificate degree in Nonprofit Management from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.  He is the founding chairperson of the Tomorrow Fellowship Jewish Communal Leadership Program. He is a past recipient of the Matthew H. Simon Rabbinic Leadership Award from JFGW.

Rabbi Harris has been a guest lecturer at the Washington College of Law, the National Defense University and the National Guard Bureau as well as a guest on The Kojo Nnambi Show and other press outlets.  In his free time, he is learning to play guitar.  He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He is a proud dad to Benjamin, Maayan and Shoshana.

Office Hours with Rabbi Harris

Have a quick question or want to stop in to say hello? Need to talk for a bit longer or require pastoral care? Please contact Robin Finkelstein at rfinkelstein@bethelmc.org or 301-652-2606 ext. 131.

View Rabbi Harris’s 20th Anniversary Tribute Book