Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater has been the Chief Executive Officer of Friends In Deed since 2017.

Prior to joining FID, he served as a pulpit rabbi for 16 years, including 12 years at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, where he established himself as a spiritual leader, social justice activist and interfaith coalition builder. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999.

Rabbi Grater has served on many boards and committees, and currently he serves as board president of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. He is the chair of the Pasadena Human Services Commission and is an active speaker and leader in the community on issues related to homelessness and poverty. He is a published writer and his works can be found on numerous websites, including Pasadena Now. Rabbi Grater also hosts the Friends In Deed podcast. 

Rabbi Grater and his wife, Franci, have adult-aged twins and have lived in Pasadena since 2003. He loves sports, books, motorcycles and Lake Tahoe.