Jonathan V. Plaut

Who was Jonathan V. Plaut?

Jonathan V. Plaut, was a Reform rabbi and author. Plaut was the rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Jackson, MI.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Gunther Plaut, an internationally renowned Jewish scholar who lived in Toronto, Ontario. On October 1, 2000, Plaut was appointed the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel. Prior to this, he served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, San Jose, California from 1985 to 1993 and Congregation Beth El in Windsor, Ontario, Canada from 1970 to 1984 where he spearheaded the synagogue’s growth of more than a hundred percent. In addition, he held part-time positions at Temple Beth El as Visiting Rabbinic Scholar and for five years at Congregation Beth El in Traverse City, Michigan before becoming Rabbi Emeritus in August 2004.

A 1964 graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he was ordained in 1970 from the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio. Rabbi Plaut earned a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree in 1977 and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1995 from the Hebrew Union College. In 2009, he received a Doctor of Laws Degree from Assumption University which is in federation with the University of Windsor.