Rabbi Richard F. Address

Rabbi Richard F. Address is the director of the Department of Jewish Family Concerns for the Union for Reform Judaism. This is the synagogue movement for Reform Judaism in North America. He has served congregations in California and New Jersey. He assumed the position of director of the Pennsylvania Council of the Reform movement in 1978 and served in that position until January of 2001. He was named the first director of the URJ’s Family Concerns department in July of 1997. Rabbi Address received his undergraduate training at Temple University in Philadelphia (B.A.History 1966) and was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 (M.A. H.L) He received his Certification in Pastoral Counseling from Post Graduate Center for Mental Health of New York in 1998 and his Doctor of Ministry from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1999,

The issue of the relationship of aging to Jewish tradition, texts, history and values occupies a significant amount of the work of Rabbi Address’s department. The major Reform movement project on “Sacred Aging” is being developed to bring together the resources and richness of Judaism to assist synagogues in re-visioning how they can relate to the developing “longevity revolution.”

Rabbi Address has been an author, editor and contributor to a variety of publications that touch on his field. Included in these are: “A Time To Prepare” (a guide to making Jewish values based decisions at the end of life), ”That You May Live Long” (Caregiving for aging parents); “R’fuat HaNefesh: Caring for the Soul” (a resource guide for congregations on Judaism and Mental Health), and “Religion, Aging and Spirituality Vol. 2.” In addition Rabbi Address has contributed articles in a number of journals and newsletters including The Journal of Religious Gerontology, The Journal of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Achim, National Conference of Jewish Women, and the Forum for Religion, Spirituality and Aging newsletter. Rabbi Address also writs a monthly column for the web site: jewishfamily.com, and teaches at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.

	Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min   Director, Department of Jewish Family Concerns   Union for Reform Judaism   633 3rd Ave   New York, N.Y. 10017   (212) 650-4294   raddress@urj.org