A memoir of becoming, To Build a Brave Space takes the reader on one rabbi’s journey of self-discovery and intellectual evolution from a free-spirited liberal teenager to the leader of a large suburban congregation, through several national and global crises and countless personal experiences.

Rabbi Matthew D. Gewirtz began his tenure as the Senior Rabbi of Temple B’nai Jeshurun in July 2006.  Previously he served as Senior Associate Rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom.  He earned his Masters in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in 1996 and was ordained by HUC-JIR in 1997