Maurice D. Harris
Maurice is a rabbi, writer, and Jewish studies teacher who lives in Eugene, Oregon with his wife, Melissa Crabbe, and their two children, Clarice and Hunter.
His first book, Moses: A Stranger among Us, was published by Cascade Books in 2012 and has received many positive reviews.
He currently teaches Judaic studies courses as an adjunct at the University of Oregon, and offers adult education classes on a wide range of topics for various communities of faith.
Maurice was born in 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri, the only child of William (z'l) and Marie Harris. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1992 with a B.A. in English. In 2003, he received rabbinic ordination and a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. From 2003 - 2011, Maurice served as Rabbi and Head of School at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene.
Maurice is a member J Street's Rabbinic Cabinet and of "50 Voices for Equality," an initiative of Basic Rights Oregon's efforts to publicize Oregon clergy members of different faiths who support full equal rights, including marriage equality, for LGBT people. He also serves on the Jewish Community Relations Council in Eugene, which is part of a national network of JCRCs under the umbrella of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs.
Maurice is passionate about the St. Louis Cardinals, Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation efforts, progressive approaches to religion, movies, writing, and his family.
His first book, Moses: A Stranger among Us, was published by Cascade Books in 2012 and has received many positive reviews.
He currently teaches Judaic studies courses as an adjunct at the University of Oregon, and offers adult education classes on a wide range of topics for various communities of faith.
Maurice was born in 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri, the only child of William (z'l) and Marie Harris. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1992 with a B.A. in English. In 2003, he received rabbinic ordination and a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. From 2003 - 2011, Maurice served as Rabbi and Head of School at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene.
Maurice is a member J Street's Rabbinic Cabinet and of "50 Voices for Equality," an initiative of Basic Rights Oregon's efforts to publicize Oregon clergy members of different faiths who support full equal rights, including marriage equality, for LGBT people. He also serves on the Jewish Community Relations Council in Eugene, which is part of a national network of JCRCs under the umbrella of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs.
Maurice is passionate about the St. Louis Cardinals, Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation efforts, progressive approaches to religion, movies, writing, and his family.
