Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min
Rabbi Richard F. Address serves as the director of the Union for Reform Judaism's Department of Jewish Family Concerns.
The mission of this department is to work with the congregations of the Reform movement to create congregations that are “caring communities” that have as their foundation the “theology of sacred relationships.”
The department is involved in several major programmatic areas. They include such issues as: the changing faces of the contemporary Jewish family; challenges to congregations relating to older adults and the aging of the baby boom generation, their spiritual aging and the challenges of intergenerational care-giving; concerns over self destructive behaviors, resiliency and the pressures on our youth; issues of inclusiveness and openness for people with special needs, and the impact of emerging medical technology on the choices that confront today's Reform Jews.
Rabbi Address joined the URJ staff in 1978 after pulpit work in California. He served as Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Council of the URJ from August of 1978 through December of 2000. He was named director of Jewish Family Concerns on July 1, 1997.
Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Cincinnati) in 1972 and received his honorary Doctor of Divinity from HUC-JIR in 1997. In May of 1998 he received a Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health in New York and in May 1999 he received his Doctor of Ministry from the Hebrew Union College in New York. Rabbi Address teaches classes on Jewish family issues at Hebrew Union College in New York.
In January of 2007 he received the “Sherut La”am” award from the Hebrew Union College's Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health.
Additional Background Information:
Teaching Positions:
Gratz College. Philadelphia.PA
Gwynned Mercy College. Ambler, PA
Medical College of Pennsylvania. Phila. PA
Pierce College. Los Angeles, CA
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (NYC)
Holy Family University (Philadelphia)
Professional and Communal Organizations:
Hosted radio and TV programs in Los Angeles and Philadelphia
Served on Board of Directors of:
Hospice of the Conejo (Thousand Oaks, CA) 1976-78
Black-Jewish Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Alzheimer's Association of South-Jersey 1995-97
Sandwich Generation magazine
North American Board of ARZA-World Union
Central Conference of American Rabbis 1993-95
Pathways to Promise: Interfaith Ass'n for Mental Health
Shepherd's Centers of America
Publications:
The Jewish Spectator
Journal of Central Conference of American Rabbis
Reform Judaism Magazine
Journal of Pediatric Urology
Journal of Psychology and Judaism
Journal of North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods
Journal of National Association of Temple Administrator's
Journal of National Conference of Jewish Women
Journal of Religious Gerontology
Journal of Jewish Communal Service
Jewish Lights Publishing: Care Notes
Jewish Education News
“Aging Today” (foreword)
Forum on Religion Spirituality and Aging newsletter of
American Society of Aging
Aging, Spirituality and Religion, Vol 2 (Chapter: “Making Decisions at the End of Life: An Approach from Sacred Jewish Texts”)
Jewish Relational Care A-Z: (Chapter on: “Jewish Relational Care with the Healthy Aging”
JewishFamily.com web site
URJ Publications:
Contributor/Editor: Bio-ethics Study Guides for Congregations
I: A Time to Be Born (1998)
II: Autonomy: My Right To Live or Die (1989)
III: Termination of Treatment (1990)
IV: Living Will: Medical Directives ( 1991
V: Genetic Screening/Human Genome (1992)
VI: Voluntary Active Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide (1993)
VII: Allocation of Scarce Resources (1994)
VIII: Role of Pain and Suffering in Decision Making (1996)
IX: Organ Donation and Transplantation (1997)
X: Cloning (1999)
XI: Infertility and Assisted Reproduction (2000)
XII: Genetic Testing (2001)
XIII: Spiritual Challenges of Living With Chronic Illness (2005)
XIV: Jewish Approaches to Stem Cell Research (2006)
Editor and/or Contributor:
“A Time to Prepare”: A Practical Guide for Individuals and Families in Determining One's Wishes for Extraordinary Medical Treatment and
Financial Arrangements (URJ Press: 2001)
Becoming a Kehilat Chesed: Transforming Your Congregation Into A Caring Community. (URJ Press: 2001)
That You May Live Long: Caring for our Aging Parents, Caring
For Ourselves. Jewish Perspectives On Care-giving. (URJ Press. 2003)
Caring for the Soul: R'fuat Ha Nefesh: A Mental Health Resource and Study Guide. (URJ Press. 2003)
“To Honor and Respect: Programs and Resources for Congregations
On Sacred Aging”: (URJ Press: 2005)