William E. Kaufman (born December 28, 1938) is an American Conservative rabbi, philosopher, theologian and author. His 1991 book, The Case for God, was perhaps the first book written on Jewish process theology.
Early life and education
Kaufman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of the late Harry Kaufman and Elizabeth (Slodovsky) Kaufman. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in 1959 with an undergraduate major in philosophy. Kaufman was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1964. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston University in 1971.
Kaufman is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international rabbinical association of Conservative Judaism.
Kaufman married the former Nathalie Ann Levin of Brookline, Massachusetts in 1965. They have a son, Ari, a daughter, Beth, and four grandchildren: Maisie, Josephine (Josie), Gabriel and Ryan.
Works
Kaufman has published many articles in Judaism (quarterly journal), Conservative Judaism (quarterly journal), The Reconstructionist (quarterly journal), and The Jewish Spectator (quarterly journal.)
One of his projects has been to create a Jewish process theology, viewing Jewish theology through the panentheistic process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.
Bibliography
- Metaphors for God: A Response Conservative Judaism (journal), Volume 51, No. 2, 1999, The Rabbinical Assembly.