Rabbi Steven Philp

Associate Rabbi
he/him

Quote:

“When Lizzi called me in 2011 to ask me if I wanted to help her create a new, dynamic spiritual community, I could not have anticipated the ways Mishkan would transform the landscape of contemporary Judaism. I’m excited to have returned to Chicago, to continue our work of building a bolder, more inclusive Jewish future.”

Bio:

Rabbi Steven Philp was delighted to return to Mishkan as one of our rabbis in 2021.

Steven currently serves on the board of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. He is a member of the Interfaith Leadership Network with the Interfaith Alliance and a convener with the Israel Policy Forum Charles Bronfman Atid Program. He is formerly a member of the Chicago Commons Project and Rukin Rabbinic Fellow with 18Doors.

He has written for publications like Hey Alma, The Forward, eJP, and Jewschool, contributed to the books Chaver Up and Choosing a Jewish Life, and was featured in Tablet Magazine.

Steven was ordained in 2019 by the Jewish Theological Seminary; he was a recipient of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. Steven also received his M.St. in Jewish Studies from the University of Oxford in 2016, his M.Div. and M.S.W. from the University of Chicago in 2014, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2010, where he received a B.F.A. in Studio Art and a B.A. with Honors in English (Creative Writing) and International Relations. Steven is pursuing his doctorate in Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute.

While a student at JTS, Steven served as a rabbinical intern for the University of Maryland Hillel and Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the LGBTQ synagogue of New York City. After ordination, he worked at Park Avenue Synagogue as their Rabbinic Fellow.

Steven grew up in California and Hawaii, and was raised in the Christian tradition. He became passionate about interfaith work while in college, a path that eventually led him to become part of the Jewish community. Steven lives in Boystown with his partner, Carter, and their cat, Miso.