On August 28, 2024, at age 81, Rabbi Michael Lerner passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family and close friends. He will be remembered as a lifelong committed activist who worked tirelessly for social change, promoting the philosophy that meaningful connection, love, and generosity can be a catalyst for social and political transformation.
While obtaining his first Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of California Berkeley, Lerner became an outspoken leader in the Free Speech Movement, becoming chair of the Berkeley chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) from 1966 to 1968. While teaching at the University of Washington, Lerner founded the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF) and was later tried and acquitted as a member of the “Seattle Seven.”
In addition to teaching, Rabbi Lerner worked as a therapist in the labor movement, creating the Institute for Labor and Mental Health, served as dean of the Graduate School of Psychology at New College of California, and in 1986 co-created the magazine Tikkun: A Bimonthly Jewish Critique of Politics, Culture and Society. With appearances on a variety of shows, such as Larry King Live, C-SPAN, Meet the Press, and Bill Moyers, Lerner’s ideas continued to gain popularity. By 1993, First Lady Hillary Clinton incorporated the “politics of meaning” into her writings, a concept Lerner developed with Tikkun’s Associate Editor Peter Gabel.
Author of ten books and editor of four anthologies, Lerner’s 1994 book Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation became a national best-seller, as did the 1995 book he co-authored with Cornel West, Jews and Blacks: Let The Healing Begin. In 2016, Rabbi Lerner was honored to speak at the memorial of his fellow anti-Vietnam War activist, Muhammad Ali.
In the spirit of his teachers Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and the neo-Hasidic Jewish Renewal movement, Rabbi Lerner established Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in 1996. Beyt Tikkun was a place for Rabbi Lerner’s psycho/spiritual/political message and presence to shine. His joyful and deeply meaningful services were a place for people from all walks of life to connect with an energy beyond themselves. Many who grew up Jewish and fled, found their way back to a Judaism of love and radical politics. Rabbi Cat Zavis, his partner/wife of 11 years, was one of those people. During their lives together, Rabbi Michael and Rabbi Cat co-created services, rituals, and events that awakened people’s consciousness and gave them a place where their spirituality and politics could be simultaneously held and celebrated. Beyt Tikkun is honored to have Rabbi Cat continue to guide and lead us in the tradition of Rabbi Lerner and to expand upon his teachings and legacy.
Share your memories of Rabbi Michael here
Donations in Rabbi Lerner’s honor can be made to Beyt Tikkun or American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
Beyt Tikkun
American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
(“Oasis of Peace” in Hebrew and Arabic), a nonprofit organization committed to supporting Israel’s only intentional Arab-Jewish village (www.oasisofpeace.org/donate).
