Lance Sussman

Born in 1954, Rabbi Lance J. Sussman is a college professor, historian of American Jewish history and senior rabbi at Reform Congregation Kneseth Israel in Pennsylvania.

Sussman was born and raised in Maryland. He was president of the Poetry Club at Pikesville Senior High School, and went on to attend Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He graduated with a BA in Religious Studies. He also studied Hebrew at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Following graduation, Rabbi Sussman spent the years 1975-1987 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 1979 and was ordained as a rabbi in 1980. He was awarded during his studies the Mrs Arthur Hays Sulzberger Prize for Best Short Sermon.

Sussman began his writing career whilst still in Rabbinical School, and has published many books and articles over the years. He has also been extremely active in the Reform movement, as well as in teaching in various universities.

Rabbi Sussman was extremely active in the social activism arena, having made trips to the USSR and Cuba to show support for Jews living under totalitarian rule as well as collect information regarding these Jewish communities. He was also very active in interfaith dialogue and humanitarian issues.

Rabbi Sussman became a Trustee of the American board of IsraAID in 2001. This organization helps in humanitarian crises around the world. 

He is married to Elizabeth and has 5 children and 2 grandchildren.