About Rabbi Bill Kaplan

Rabbi Bill Kaplan is the Chief Executive Officer of Shalom Institute (www.shalominstitute.com), a year-round experiential Jewish and environmental education center in Malibu, Ca. Rabbi Bill is in his 35th year with Shalom Institute. Shalom Institute is a hub of Jewish life in Southern California. Shalom Institute’s diverse programs include Camp JCA Shalom, a Jewish Community Center residential summer camp for youth, Camp Gesher, the North American overnight camp for Russian-speaking Jewish children and families, and Shemesh Farms, an employment initiative and social enterprise employing adults with special needs and diverse abilities. Shalom Institute also provides high quality experiential retreats and programs year-round for synagogues, day schools, JCCs, Jewish federations, and other community organizations.

Rabbi Bill, as a Jewish educator and rabbi, uses nature, organic gardens, and biblical gardens creatively to teach Torah, Israel, Jewish culture, holidays, and Jewish history in a model he calls “Edible Judaism” (www.ediblejudaism.com). Rabbi Bill also provides rabbinical services to Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue as needed and officiates life cycle events.

Rabbi Bill has a BA from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, an MBA in Non-Profit Management from American Jewish University, and his rabbinical ordination from the Academy For Jewish Religion in Los Angeles. Rabbi Bill currently serves in third term on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America and on the Steering Committee of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.