MEET

Rabbi Dusty Klass

My name is Dusty Klass. Born and raised in Seattle Washington, I am a proud product of my Jewish dad, a lifelong newspaper journalist, and my Catholic mom, an actress/Montessori-trained teacher. Thanks to their upbringing, I have always been drawn to art, words, the intersection of multiple religions, and of the line between universal and particular experience. I have always felt most at home in Jewish spaces, and I particularly love doodling, tea, story-sharing, and the pursuit of a world where all people recognize and actively celebrate the holiness in each other. My particular educational interests include: poetry, psalms, middot (Jewish virtues), and learning alongside others.

I currently serve as Rabbinic Wellness Specialist for the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and spent the first six years of my rabbinate at Temple Beth El in Charlotte North Carolina, supporting the social justice and youth work of the synagogue and serving the congregation as a full member of the clergy team. I received my MA in Jewish Education in 2014 from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education and was ordained in 2016 from the Los Angeles campus of HUC-JIR. Before entering rabbinic school, I spent two years with the Union for Reform Judaism as a regional advisor for the Southern California region of the Reform movement’s teen program - one of the most important roles I have had in my entire career.