Rav Claudia Kreiman

Senior Rabbi

Sparks of joy connect the spiritual world and the social activism goals of our Senior Rabbi Claudia Kreiman. Through her own love of Torah and learning she illuminates our services with song and music, encouraging us to grow our personal spiritual practices and quest. And in her pursuit of social justice as a leader within and beyond TBZ, she models how Torah and Tikun Olam are intertwined, deepening our awareness of the connection between these two inseparable themes. Rav Claudia is deeply invested in building an intentional and meaningful community that thrives in the commitment to each other with kindness, compassion and love.

Rav Claudia, first Chilean-born woman to be ordained to the rabbinate, daughter of Angel Kreiman-Brill, Chief Rabbi of Chile, grew up in Santiago under the repressive environment of a dictatorship, inspiring her vision for social justice from a young age. After her graduation from high school, she moved to Argentina and there she began to engage deeply with Judaism, both as a learner and as a teacher.

The death of Rav Claudia’s mother, Susy Wolynski Kreiman—and 84 others—in a 1994 terrorist attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) bombing in Buenos Aires, led Rav Claudia to honor her mother’s legacy. She moved to Israel in 1996, made Aliyah to Israel, studied at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and was ordained in Jerusalem in 2002. She served as the first rabbi of NOAM, the Masorti youth movement in Israel. This position allowed Rav Claudia to combine her passion for youth engagement and Jewish education, shaping the next generation of leaders of the Masorti Movement through year-long programs and Jewish summer camp.

As a recently ordained rabbi, Rav Claudia became the Israeli Rabbinic Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in New York City. While in NYC for one month every year for three years she studied with teachers Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein and Rabbi Roly Matalon, and engaged in intensive study and prayer-leading at B’nai Jeshurun. Rav Claudia was also a Rikma Fellow, working to breathe new fire into Jewish life in Israel by building original communities and strengthening existing ones through training and support of leadership. In addition, she helped to build Hokhmat Halev, a spiritual community for secular Israelis in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.

When she moved to the U.S, Rav Claudia became the director of the Jewish Studies program at the Jewish Community Day School in Watertown. While at JCDS, Rav Claudia radically changed the experience of prayer for students, invigorating the prayer experience and bringing ruach (spirit) to the davening, crafting inspiring holiday and Shabbat programs, and helping teachers to enliven the teaching of Torah throughout the school.

Rav Claudia joined TBZ in 2007 as Assistant Rabbi becoming the first woman Senior Rabbi of TBZ in 2019. Rav Claudia’s commitment to Joyful Prayer, Social Justice and Torah  has shaped her time at TBZ. She continues to inspire and energize our community with her dynamic and purposeful leadership.

Rav Claudia was president of the New England Rabbinical Assembly from 2012-2014, and in 2015 she was a CJP “Chai in the Hub” honoree for her tireless work in the Boston Jewish Community. Currently, she serves on numerous boards including the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston and T’ruah-The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She also serves as the co-chair of the New England JStreet Rabbinic Cabinet. She brings her commitment and enthusiasm to the Brookline Clergy Association and Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). Our community takes pride in her ability to serve us fully with love and commitment as she contributes energy and leadership to the social justice network surrounding us.

She is married to Rabbi Ebn Leader, who is on the faculty of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. They have two daughters, Alma and Ariel.