Email
Phone: (216) 831-3233 x126
Rabbi Roger C. Klein received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago with a dissertation on Plato. He was ordained by The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion where he also received a Master of Hebrew Letters degree. He studied for a year at The University of Tubingen in Germany as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and for a year at The Pardes Institute in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Klein has served congregations in Indiana and Columbus, Ohio and has taught at The University of Kentucky, Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and at The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. He has lectured widely at synagogues, churches and universities around the country on Bible, Jewish Thought, Jewish Philosophy and Jewish History, Christian-Jewish Relations, Jewish Humor, and Music. He also presents pre-concert talks for The Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and The Cleveland Chamber Music Society.
Dedicated to lifelong learning, Rabbi Klein plays a pivotal role in The Temple’s adult learning programs and conducts a well-attended Torah Study class every Shabbat morning. In addition, he cultivates relationships with other religious and educational institutions in Cleveland and around the country. He is intensely involved in the congregation’s life-cycle events, works closely with individuals and families, and oversees The Temple Brotherhood, The Temple Seniors, Adult Learning, and The Temple’s Caring Congregation Initiative.
Rabbi Klein joined The Temple-Tifereth Israel as a full-time rabbi in July 1999 after serving part-time for six years while teaching at The Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies.
Rabbi Klein grew up in Shaker Heights and graduated from Shaker Heights High School. He played varsity baseball in high school and in college and is a life-long, avid tennis player. He has three grown children and two grandchildren.
Feel free to watch archived video of Torah Study sessions led mostly by Rabbi Klein through the viewing portal below!
Video and Writing
From The Rabbi’s Study
THE TEMPLE SERVING YOU Serving our congregants! This has been the goal of our Gemilut Chasadim meal delivery Program now for the past 14 years. During this time, our committee of coordinators and cooks has made more than 2500 calls to congregants who have experienced a loss in the family or who have a family […]
How to Raise the Razed Foundations 2019/5780 Rabbi Roger C. Klein
HOW TO RAISE THE RAZED FOUNDATIONS YOM KIPPUR 2019/5780 THE TEMPLE-TIFERETH ISRAEL RABBI ROGER C. KLEIN I am guessing that you will not find the following to be an exaggeration: we are living in times beset by chaos, disorder, divisiveness and disorientation. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche put it with characteristic penetration and with prophetic flair […]
From the Rabbi’s Study
SPECTACLE OR SUBSTANCE: THOUGHTS ON THE 2020 ELECTION In a recent Friday evening D’var Torah I reflected on a fascinating passage in Chapter 13 of the biblical book of Deuteronomy. The passage goes like this: If there appears among you a prophet or a dream-diviner and he gives you a sign or a portent, saying, […]
Jay Mendelsohn: Hero, Rosh Hashanah 2019/5780 Rabbi Roger C. Klein
JAY MENDELSOHN: HERO THE TEMPLE-TIFERETH ISRAEL ROSH HASHANAH 2019/5780 RABBI ROGER C. KLEIN Let me introduce you to Jay Mendelsohn: 81 years old, a retired research scientist while nursing a life-long disappointment that financial and family needs kept him from completing his Ph.D. in mathematics; a devoted but critical husband and father of five. […]
Torah Study Poetry and Parsha Podcasts (Audio Only)
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