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Denise Eger
Eger in 2010
Born	(1960-03-14) March 14, 1960 (age 64)
Education	University of Southern California (bachelor’s degree, 1982) Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (master’s degree, 1985) Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (rabbinical ordination 1988)
Website	rabbieger.wordpress.com

Denise Eger (born March 14, 1960) is an American Reform rabbi. In March 2015, she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America; she was the first openly gay person to hold that position.

Early life

Denise Eger was born in New Kensington, and raised in Memphis.

Education

In 1982, Eger received a bachelor’s degree in religion from the University of Southern California.

In 1985, she received a master’s degree from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.

In 2013, she received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.

In 2023, Eger received a honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

Rabbinical career

In 1988, Eger was ordained by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion at their campus in New York.

She worked as the first full-time rabbi at Beth Chayim Chadashim for four years, after which she became the founding rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, which was founded in 1992. She served Congregation Kol Ami for thirty years before retiring in 2023.

In 2008, Eger officiated at the wedding of Robin Tyler and Diane Olson.

In 2009, she became the first female and the first openly gay president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. 2009 was also the year she served as president of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis.

On March 16, 2015, she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America; she was the first openly gay person to hold that position. She held the position until March 20, 2017.

Personal life

Eger is gay; she came out publicly as gay in 1990 in a story in the Los Angeles Times.

In 1994, she and Karen Siteman were married by a rabbi. They remarried in October 2008, at their home in Cheviot Hills. They also had a son, called Benjamin. However, Eger later married Eleanor Steinman. Steinman is also a rabbi.

Selected Bibliography

• 2019: Gender and Religious Leadership: Women Rabbis, Pastors and Ministers (co-edited with Hartmut Bomhoff, Kathy Ehrensperger, and Walter Homolka; published by Rowman & Littlefield)
• 2020: Mishkan Ga'avah: Where Pride Dwells, A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual (edited; published by CCAR Press)
• 2023: 7 Principles for Living Bravely (coauthored with Neil Thomas; published by TKG Communications)

Selected Awards and Honors

• 2008: Morris Kight Lifetime Achievement Award from Christopher Street West/Los Angeles Gay Pride
• 2009: On June 2, 2009, a resolution was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council to “congratulate and express their deep appreciation to Rabbi Denise L. Eger on the occasion of her installation as the President of The Board of Rabbis of Southern California.”
• 2022: The 2022 art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, shown among other places at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, featured art about twenty-four female rabbis who were firsts in some way; Dorit Jordan Dotan created the artwork about Eger that was in that exhibit.
• 2022: Honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

References

1. ^ Denise Eger, LGBT history month.
2. ^ https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2009/09-0727_misc_6-2-09.pdf
3. ^ "Learning from the past, Rabbi Eger forges welcoming future for LGBTQ congregants | The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle".
4. ^ Dart, John (June 30, 1990). "Lesbian Rabbi Comes Out of Closet to Be Role Model". Los Angeles Times.
5. ^ Tess Cutler, "Rabbi Denise Eger seeks to open doors wider to all Jews", The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, March 4, 2015.
6. ^ "Reform rabbis install first openly gay or lesbian president, Denise Eger | Jewish Telegraphic Agency". Jta.org. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
7. "Rabbi Denise L. Eger | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com.
8. "Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Jewish Leader and Gender Equality Activist, To Receive Honorary Doctorate Degree from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev". jhvonline.com.
9. Goldsheft, Tali. "eger featured". A4BGU. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
10. ^ "[VIDEO] Women Rabbis: Trailblazers and Innovators". Jewish Journal. October 25, 2009.
11. Noonan, Ari L. (September 7, 2023). "Rabbis of LA | Rabbi Barry Lutz: Interim Leadership Is His Style". Jewish Journal.
12. ^ Collins, Rance (June 15, 2023). "Rabbi Eger retires after 30 years at WeHo's Kol Ami". Beverly Press & Park Labrea News.
13. "After legal battle, California's first lesbian wedding takes place - under the huppa". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. June 17, 2008.
14. ^ Helfand, Duke (May 12, 2009). "Gay activist leads rabbis". Los Angeles Times.
15. "PARR - PARR History & Presidents". www.parrabbis.org.
16. Oster, Marcy (March 20, 2017). "David Stern becomes third-generation president of Reform rabbinical group".
17. Zoll, Rachel (16 March 2015). "Reform Jewish rabbis in U.S. install first openly lesbian president". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
18. "Rabbi Denise L. Eger | Congregation Kol Ami of West Hollywood". www.kol-ami.org. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013.
19. Eckerling, Debra L. (March 31, 2022). ""Holy Sparks" Exhibition Celebrates 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate". Jewish Journal.
20. "Holy Sparks: Celebrating Fifty Years of Women in the Rabbinate". HUC.
21. "VIDEO: HOLY SPARKS – Celebrating 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate". Jewish Art Salon. January 30, 2022.
22. Heller, Sasha (May 20, 2022). "Nine Extraordinary Individuals Honored by Ben-Gurion University". Atlanta Jewish Times.

External links

• Denise Eger's blog

v t e Women rabbis and Torah scholars
Timeline of women rabbis
Pre-modern figures	Bible and Talmud Deborah (1107–1067 BCE) Bruriah (2nd century) Medieval and early modern era Rashi's daughters (11th–12th century) Bat ha-Levi (12th century) Paula Dei Mansi (13th century) Miriam Shapira-Luria (14th century) Fioretta of Modena (1522–1580) Bayla Falk (16th century) Eva Bacharach (1580–1651) Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) Frehat Bat Avraham (d. 1756) Maiden of Ludmir (1805–1888)
Modern figures	Ray Frank (1861–1948) Lily Montagu (1873–1963) Regina Jonas (1902–1944) Tehilla Lichtenstein (1893–1973) Paula Ackerman (1893–1989) Martha Neumark (1904–1981) Avis Clamitz (1908-1991) Helen Levinthal (1910–1989) Sally Priesand (b. 1946) Mimi Feigelson (b. 1963) First ordination by denomination Regina Jonas (Reform, 1935) Sandy Sasso (Reconstructionist, 1974) Lynn Gottlieb (Renewal, 1981) Amy Eilberg (Conservative, 1985) Tamara Kolton (Humanistic, 1999) Sara Hurwitz (Orthodox, 2009)
Alternate rabbinical roles	Yoetzet halacha Toanot Rabniyot
Organisations and midrashot	Women's Rabbinic Network Yeshivat Maharat Matan Women's Institute Midreshet Lindenbaum Nishmat Center Hadran
Category: Women rabbis

• 21st-century American LGBTQ people
• 21st-century American rabbis
• 1960 births
• American Reform rabbis
• Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni
• LGBTQ rabbis
• LGBTQ Reform Jews
• Living people
• Reform women rabbis
• Religious leaders from Memphis, Tennessee
• University of Southern California alumni
• Women rabbis