Danya Ruttenberg

Biography Ruttenberg's family attended a synagogue affiliated with Reform Judaism in Chicago growing up, and she describes herself as having been an atheist around that time. Ruttenberg later affiliated with Conservative Judaism.

She served as the senior Jewish educator at Tufts University Hillel beginning in May 2009, and went on to be the campus rabbi at Northwestern University Hillel and director of education for the campus dialogue program Ask Big Questions. She was Rabbi-in-Residence for the community service group Avodah in 2019.

On the evening of February 6, 2017, Ruttenberg and 18 other rabbis associated with Jewish human rights organization T'ruah were arrested while protesting the Trump travel ban outside of Trump Tower. She described her arrest as a "profoundly holy experience" and compared it to the sacrifices offered at the Temple in Jerusalem.

In 2020, she became Scholar-in-Residence for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). While at the NCJW, she launched Rabbis for Repro, a Jewish reproductive rights group.

In 2021, she wrote an open letter condemning attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of Steven M. Cohen after his 2018 departure from Stanford University over sexual harassment. The letter was signed by 500 rabbis. In 2023, she and several other former students of the Ziegler School sent a letter to the Rabbinical Assembly regarding sexism, homophobia, and sexual harassment at the school. The letter asked for an investigation and a change in leadership.

In July 2024, she announced that she had disaffiliated from Conservative Judaism and was in the process of joining a different rabbinical association.

Awards and honors

Finalist for Surprised by God – Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, 2010 "36 Under 36" – The Jewish Week, 2010 Top 50 most influential women rabbis – The Jewish Daily Forward, 2010 Finalist for Nurture the Wow – National Jewish Book Award 2016 Parents' Choice selection for Nurture the Wow – PJ Library, 2016 21 Faith Leaders to Watch – Center for American Progress, 2021