About Rabbi Arian

Rabbi Charles L. Arian, a native ofBrooklyn , NY , became rabbi of Beth Jacob Synagogue in August, 2005. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Washington , DC, and his Master’s degree and Rabbinic Ordination at Hebrew Union College , Cincinnati , OH .  Rabbi Arian is a Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a Rabbis Without Borders Fellow at CLAL.  In May of 2011, he received his Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa and was also honored with a proclamation from the Mayor and Council of the City of Norwich.

Rabbi Arian is chair of the City of Norwich Ethics Commission. He was also appointed by the Bishop of Norwich, the Most Rev. Michael A. Cote, as a board member of St. Vincent de Paul Place . He lives in Norwich with his wife, Keleigh.Prior to coming to Beth Jacob, Rabbi Arian was the Jewish Staff Scholar at the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, MD. He has also served as rabbi of Ohev Sholom Synagogue in York, PA, and as a Hillel Rabbi at American University and at the University of Virginia . During the 1996-97 academic year, he was the Scholar-in-Residence at the Abbey of New Clairvaux , a Trappist monastery in northern California . He has also been a member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly , the international association of Conservative Rabbis.

He has published a number of journal articles, was the co-author of the entry “Christian –Jewish Dialogue” in the new Encyclopedia of Christianity, and served as a distinguished guest lecturer at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

Rabbi Arian's formal installation was held on Sunday, April 23, 2006. Baltimore Jewish Times Editor Neil Rubin gave the keynote address, which can be read here.

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