Sharon Brous is the founding rabbi of IKAR—a new kind of Jewish spiritual community launched in 2004 and devoted to reanimating Jewish life through soulful and traditional religious practice that is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice. Sharon has been noted as one of the top five rabbis in the country in Newsweek, and has been listed numerous times among the Forward's 50 most influential American Jews. She was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2001 and received a master's in human rights from Columbia University. Sharon serves on the faculty of Wexner Heritage and Reboot, and sits on the board of T'ruah (formerly known as Rabbis for Human Rights—North America).