Esther Lederman
Prior to becoming a rabbi, Ms. Lederman worked for seven years in the non-profit world. She held positions with the Israel Policy Forum in Washington, DC, directed a project on Middle East peace education for the Union for Reform Judaism, and served as the National Director of Habonim Dror North America, an international Zionist youth movement. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University in 1996. Prior to entering college, she took six months to serve as a volunteer on a kibbutz in the north of Israel.
While a student at HUC, Rabbi Lederman was involved in a number of community organizing endeavors, supported by Jewish Funds for Justice, including two years with Central Synagogue as their community organizer. Rabbi Lederman was elected student body president of HUC and volunteered for two years with the HUC Soup Kitchen, serving at its co-director. In addition to working for two years as the rabbi of the Jewish community of Indiana, Pennsylvania, she has served pulpits at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and for the United States Navy in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Rabbi Lederman is very involved in local community groups, serving on the advisory council of Avodah in Washington and the Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse, a project of Jewish Women International.
Rabbi Lederman is married to Scott Gant, an attorney and author. They have a son. Being a Canadian, hockey is more Rabbi Lederman’s game. Although a fan of the Capitals, her heart is never far from the Montreal Canadiens.