# Denise Eger

Denise Eger (born March 14, 1960) is an American Reform rabbi. In March 2015, she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America; she was the first openly gay person to hold that position.

## Early life

Denise Eger was born in New Kensington, and raised in Memphis.

## Education

In 1982, Eger received a bachelor’s degree in religion from the University of Southern California.
In 1985, she received a master’s degree from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.
In 2013, she received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.
In 2023, Eger received a honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

## Career

In 1988, Eger was ordained by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion at their campus in New York.
She worked as the first full-time rabbi at Beth Chayim Chadashim for four years, after which she became the founding rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, which was founded in 1992. She served Congregation Kol Ami for thirty years before retiring in 2023.
In 2008, Eger officiated at the wedding of Robin Tyler and Diane Olson.
In 2009, she became the first female and the first openly gay president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. 2009 was also the year she served as president of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis.
On March 16, 2015, she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America; she was the first openly gay person to hold that position. She held the position until March 20, 2017.
In March 2025 she was named as interim executive director of A Wider Bridge.

## Personal life

Eger is gay; she came out publicly as gay in 1990 in a story in the Los Angeles Times.
In 1994, she and Karen Siteman were married by a rabbi. They remarried in October 2008, at their home in Cheviot Hills. They also had a son, called Benjamin. However, Eger later married Eleanor Steinman. Steinman is also a rabbi.

## Selected Bibliography

* 2019: Gender and Religious Leadership: Women Rabbis, Pastors and Ministers (co-edited with Hartmut Bomhoff, Kathy Ehrensperger, and Walter Homolka; published by Rowman & Littlefield)
* 2020: Mishkan Ga'avah: Where Pride Dwells, A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual (edited; published by CCAR Press)
* 2023: 7 Principles for Living Bravely (coauthored with Neil Thomas; published by TKG Communications)

## Selected Awards and Honors

* 2008: Morris Kight Lifetime Achievement Award from Christopher Street West/Los Angeles Gay Pride
* 2009: On June 2, 2009, a resolution was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council to “congratulate and express their deep appreciation to Rabbi Denise L. Eger on the occasion of her installation as the President of The Board of Rabbis of Southern California.”
* 2022: The 2022 art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, shown among other places at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, featured art about twenty-four female rabbis who were firsts in some way; Dorit Jordan Dotan created the artwork about Eger that was in that exhibit.
* 2022: Honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev