Rabbi Jon Hanish

At Kol Tikvah, Rabbi Jon has led the temple in expanding its educational, social, and spiritual opportunities including the development of a Renaissance group, a dad’s group, community events open to all, and a “tween” youth program based on work done through the B’nai Mitzvah Revolution. Under his leadership the community has expanded and grown.

Rabbi Jon currently sits on the executive committee of the Board of Rabbis and is a past chairperson of the West Valley Rabbinic Task Force. Working hand-in-hand with the Jewish Federation, he developed Shabbat-in-the-Park which ran for six years and pulled together over 15 community organizations and over 1000 participants each summer, the Federation’s “It’s a Guy Thing” program, the “Bringing Men Back” conference, the Professional Writer’s Workshop which paired screenwriters and rabbis to work on High Holy Day sermons, and jQSA, the Jewish Queer Straight Alliance for high school students.

Rabbi Jon has received awards from the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles for his work as the West Valley Rabbinic Task Force Chair, JQ International for his leadership in the creation of JQSA, and NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, for his role as community leader. He has written articles for the Jewish Journal, OurJewishCommunity.Org, ReformJudaism.Org, and the CCAR Journal.

Rabbi Jon grew up in Louisville, Kentucky where he was an active member in NFTY and BBYO. Rabbi Jon received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University where he double-majored in Comparative Religious Studies and Film History. Rabbi Jon holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema/Television and a Master of Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College. Rabbi Jon received his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College. Prior to rabbinic school, he worked in the film and television industry.

Rabbi Jon is the proud father of Lila and Sydney and is married to Lisa.