Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Adas Emuno, a 150-year-old Reform congregation in Leonia, NJ. Rabbi Schwartz is director and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Jewish Publication Society, the oldest Jewish press in the United States, and the preeminent publisher of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh) and Jewish classics since 1888. Rabbi Schwartz received his BA, magna cum laude, from Duke University, and his MA and rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College. He previously served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ. He began his career as the rabbi of the Leo Baeck Center in Haifa, where he also served in the Israeli army.

Rabbi Schwartz is a prolific writer, as the author of books for adults, teens and children, a prize-winning short story, a play, a prayer book, and scholarly articles that have appeared in the Journal of Reform Judaism, American Jewish History, and the Hebrew Union College Annual. His textbook, Jewish Heroes, Jewish Values, has been used in over 300 religious schools nationwide for the past 20 years. Another textbook, Judaism’s Great Debates, was published in 2012 in both adult and student editions. Path of the Prophets: The Ethics-Driven Life (2018) examines the legacy of ancient Israel’s pioneers of social justice.

His most recent children’s works include Adams’ Animals (2017), a selection of the PJ Library, The New Queen of Sheba (2020) and Jonah’s Tale of a Whale (2021). His latest adult book is a comprehensive survey of the full spectrum of modern Jewish thought today, entitled Open Judaism: A Guide for Believers, Atheists and Agnostics (2023).

Rabbi Schwartz has a special passion for Jewish environmental activism, and was especially involved in the early environmental work of the Jewish community. An avid world traveler, he has visited more than 50 countries, and enjoys hiking, cycling, and competitive table tennis. And, of course, reading and writing! Rabbi Schwartz is married to Deborah A. Schwartz; they are the parents of three adult children and two adorable grandchildren.

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