About Rabbi Rudin

PictureMeeting Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day - Denver (1993)
Rabbi James Rudin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended Wesleyan University and graduated from George Washington University with academic distinction. While in college he was a member of the wrestling and track teams and a student government officer.

He received his rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and did graduate studies in History at the University of Illinois. The rabbi holds honorary doctorates from Saint Leo University, Saint Martin’s University and HUC-JIR.

In 2022 Rabbi Rudin was named a Papal Knight of Saint Gregory by Pope Francis.

As a member of the American Jewish Committee’s professional staff for thirty-two years, Rabbi Rudin served as the AJC’s Interreligious Affairs Director. He is currently the AJC’s Senior Interreligious Adviser and a member of the organization’s Board of Governors. 

He is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Religion and Judaica at Saint Leo University has taught at Florida Gulf Coast University Renaissance Academy. 

Rabbi Rudin served congregations in Kansas City, Missouri and Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and was a United States Air Force Chaplain stationed in Japan and Korea.    

Scroll down to watch Rabbi Rudin's interview on PBS. 

Awards & Honors

  • Papal Knight of Saint Gregory The Great
  • Nostra Aetate Award
    The Center for Catholic-Jewish Understanding
    Sacred Heart University
    Fairfield, Connecticut
  • Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations Shevat Achim Award
  • Nominated for 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
  • Nominated for the 2016 National Jewish Book Award
  • Honorary doctorates from Saint Leo University, Saint Martin's University and HUC-JIR
  • Jewish-Catholic Accomplishment Award, St. Joseph’s University.
  • Guest of honor at the 1994 Vatican Concert that commemorated the Shoah. 
  • Polish Council of Christians and Jews "Person of Reconciliation" Award
  • International Council of Christians and Jews Interfaith Gold Medallion
  • Anti-Defamation League Exceptional Leadership Award
  • American Jewish Committee Professional Leadership Award
  • International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations Leadership Award
  • Joseph Award of Villa Nazareth, a Pontifical institution
  • Eternal Light Award, Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, Saint Leo University

Service to the United States

  • United States Air Force Chaplain
  • Stationed in Japan & Korea
  • Camp David Presidential Retreat Interfaith Chapel Committee
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission
  • Voting Rights drive participant; Hattiesburg, Mississippi
  • Founding Member of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law
  • ​Director of American Jewish Committee Hurricane Katrina Emergency Relief Services 

Author

  • Authored or edited eighteen books 
  • Commentary writer for Religion News Service (RNS) since 1991
  • Published by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and more.

Watch Rabbi Rudin on Nostra Aetate

Watch Rabbi Rudin on PBS