David Wolpe

David J. Wolpe (born 1958) is an American Conservative rabbi, author, and public speaker who served as senior rabbi of Sinai Temple, one of Los Angeles's largest Conservative congregations, for over 25 years until stepping down in June 2023 to become Max Webb Rabbi Emeritus. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Divinity School and has taught at institutions including the Jewish Theological Seminary, the American Jewish University, Hunter College, and UCLA.

Wolpe has authored several books on Jewish theology, spirituality, and biblical figures, such as David: The Divided Heart and Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, contributing to discussions on faith amid doubt and loss. His work emphasizes rational inquiry into religious texts, aligning with empirical assessments of historical claims.

David J. Wolpe was born on September 19, 1958, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the second of four sons to Rabbi Gerald I. Wolpe and Elaine Wolpe (née Ring). His father, born in 1927 in Boston to Polish and Lithuanian Jewish immigrant roots, was a Conservative rabbi who emphasized intellectual rigor and eloquent preaching in his ministry, serving initially at Temple Beth El in Harrisburg before relocating the family. Wolpe's upbringing occurred within a rabbinical household immersed in Jewish scholarship, tradition, and communal leadership, alongside brothers Rabbi Daniel Wolpe, Dr. Stephen Wolpe, and Dr. Paul Wolpe.

The family resided in Harrisburg during Wolpe's early childhood, where he attended a local Jewish day school until completing the fifth grade. In the mid-1960s, they moved to the Philadelphia area following his father's appointment at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, a prominent Conservative congregation. Wolpe continued his education at Akiba Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school in Philadelphia, graduating around 1976.

David Wolpe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on English literature, prior to pursuing advanced Jewish studies. He then obtained a Bachelor of Hebrew Letters from the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) in Los Angeles, which provided foundational training in Hebrew texts and Jewish scholarship.