Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Advisory Board Member

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner was born in London and brought up in an Orthodox synagogue, moving to the Reform Movement in her teens in order to be more active in services and in communal life.

After her degree in Christianity, she moved to Jerusalem where she lived for 14 years. She met her partner, David in Israel and they are blessed by three lovely children all born in Jerusalem. Laura worked in education in Israel, with Jews at the Machon, the Institute for Youth Leaders from Abroad and at Melitz where she worked as the Director of the Centre for Christian Encounters with Israel and in training Israeli-Palestinian dialogue facilitators and Palestinian tour guides in Bethlehem. Laura has post-graduate degrees in Community Centre Management from the Hebrew University and an MA in Jewish communal service and education from Brandeis University, Massachusetts. 

The Janner-Klausners returned to London in 1999 and Laura completed her rabbinic studies in 2004. She worked at Alyth (North Western Reform Synagogue) from 2003 until 2011.

From 2011 to 2020, Rabbi Janner-Klausner served as the first Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism for the United Kingdom.

Laura is a familiar face - and voice - in the media. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' and BBC One's 'The Big Questions' series of moral, ethical and religious debates and makes regular appearances on other programmes.