Rabbi Randy Fleisher

Rabbi Randy Fleisher was born in the Chicago area and attended the University of Wisconsin for his undergraduate studies. In the years before he entered rabbinical school, Randy worked for a citizen's action group in Washington, D.C., taught environmental education to inner-city children in Connecticut, and helped to run a summer camp in Minnesota. At Hebrew-Union College in New York City, Randy directed the seminary's soup kitchen and served as the student rabbi in Hickory, North Carolina.

Ordained in 2000, Randy came to St. Louis to be the Assistant Rabbi at Central Reform Congregation where he takes on a variety of roles in that inclusive and spiritual urban congregation. Named Associate Rabbi in 2004, Randy works alongside one of his rabbinic mentors, CRC’s founding rabbi, Susan Talve.

He is quite involved in the greater community, most notably with Metropolitan Congregations United and the Holy Ground Collaborative, two interfaith and multi-racial collectives working for urban justice and renewal. Rabbi Fleisher was also recently selected to be the chairperson of the Jewish Environmental Initiative and serves as the Vice-Chair to Jews United for Justice. Randy and his wife Amy were honored in 2004 to co-chair the Jewish Federation’s annual ‘Super Sunday’ fund and awareness raising event. He is on the rabbinic advisory council for Ayecha, a group that provides support for Jews of Color, and is the rabbinic advisor for Beth Olam, a new Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. He serves on the boards of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the Urban League, Congregations Allied for Community Improvement (CACI), the Jewish Fund For Human Needs and Lift For Life, a charter school serving inner-city children in St. Louis. He also sits on the steering committee of the ‘Go to Health! Ambuslatory Care’ program. In 2005, Rabbi Fleisher was recognized by the Coro Leadership Center with an ‘Emerging Leader’ award.

Randy, Amy, and their two children (Zoey Sky and Gabriel Shine) live in University City.

Click here to read some of Rabbi Fleisher's writings.