David Forman

David Forman "is the founder of Rabbis for Human Rights. He served as RHR’s chairperson between 1988 and 1992 and between 2002 and 2003.

"Rabbi Forman has held a number of key leadership positions during his rabbinic career, including Director of the Israel Office of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, where he led the struggle for religious pluralism in Israel. Prior to that, Rabbi Forman was the chairperson of Interns for Peace (1984-1986), Founding Chairperson of both the Jerusalem Council for Soviet Jewry (1973) and the Cincinnati Council for Soviet Jewry (1970); Vice-Chairperson of Seminarians for Peace, and a member of Clergy and Laity against the War in Vietnam (1968-1972). In 1964, Rabbi Forman joined the Freedom Riders in challenging the Southern U.S.A.”s Jim Crow laws and the non-compliance with a US Supreme Court decision that prohibited segregation in all interstate public transportation facilities.

"Rabbi Forman keynoted the Nobel Institute conference on “The Role of Religion in Middle East Peacemaking.” His lectures on the topics of “Human Rights in the Jewish Tradition,” and “Jerusalem ” Holy Cities of Three Faiths” were featured at the United Nations Conferences in Dakar, Senegal and Amman, Jordan; the World Conference of Religion and Peace in Kyoto, Japan, the World Lutheran Conference in Thessalonica, Greece and at numerous conferences throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ukraine and Russia.

"In 1994 Rabbi Forman was a member of the Israeli Delegation to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for laureates Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin z”l.

"Rabbi Forman is the author of four books including: Over My Dead Body – Some Grave Questions for God (Gefen, 2005); Fifty Ways to be Jewish (Gefen, 2002); Jewish Schizophrenia in the Land of Israel (Gefen, 2000) and Israel on Broadway, America: Off-Broadway – Jews in the New Millennium (Gefen, 1998). His articles and columns on social, political and religious issues in Israel are featured in the Jerusalem Report, Moment Magazine, Journal of Reform Judaism, Challenge, Forward, Davar (1989-1994), The Jerusalem Post, Ha’Aretz and the Anglo-Jewish press. Royalties from his writings are donated to Rabbis for Human Rights.

"Rabbi Forman holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College (1997). He received his rabbinic ordination (1972) and MA degree (1970) from Hebrew Union College and a Bachelor’s of Arts from Franklin College (1968). Between 1977 and 1991, he was a Deputy Commanding Officer in the Artillery Corps of the Israeli Army, receiving a Citation for Meritorious Service in 1990."