Rabbi Gil Steinlauf is a nationally recognized leader who innovatively combines bold vision and grounded wisdom to steward and evolve communities and organizations.
He is the Executive Director and Jewish Chaplain at The Center for Jewish Life, Princeton Hillel, where he works to inspire new generations of Jewish leaders who will change the world. Previously, he served as the director of the Hineni Institute for LGBTQ Jewish Leadership in Washington, D.C., where he reimagined a Jewish future led by out and proud LGBTQ leaders. Under his leadership, Hineni empowered LGBTQ rabbis, educators, and changemakers to step into their roles with confidence, ensuring that their identities would not just be accepted but seen as a source of strength in moving the Jewish community forward. Before that, he was the senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, where he led a nationally recognized transformation of one of the country’s largest Conservative synagogues. He is also the co-creator of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s “Innovation Labs” for synagogue renewal. Across his work, Rabbi Steinlauf has pioneered a paradigm shift that places innovation, deep learning, and the exploration of meaning at the heart of Jewish communal life.
Rabbi Steinlauf is the first senior rabbi of a large, historic, conservative congregation to come out as openly gay, and through his honesty, has sought to create an atmosphere of constructive dialogue on the issues facing modern culture and Judaism.
Rabbi Steinlauf founded three nationally recognized initiatives during his time in Washington, D.C.: MakomDC, a hub for 21st-century experiential Jewish learning; the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington, which integrates meditation, yoga, and contemplative Jewish practices; and the Jewish Teen Leadership Institute, which empowers the next generation of Jewish leaders.
Rabbi Steinlauf is a seasoned organizational head, educator, rabbi, and leader in the Jewish world.
Rabbi Steinlauf is a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, earned an MHL from the University of Judaism, and received rabbinic ordination and an MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University and a certificate in spiritual entrepreneurial ventures from Columbia Business School. Rabbi Steinlauf currently serves on the board of Queer Princeton Alumni and previously served on the boards of the Washington Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion Council. He was also a member of Rabbis Without Borders and is an alumnus of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Additionally, he is a graduate of GLEAN, a cohort of spiritual entrepreneurs.
