Rabbi Bob Kaplan is a nationally recognized leader in interfaith partnership, diversity leadership,
and community building. He is Senior Advisor and founding Executive Director of The Center
for the Shared Society at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC), where
he develops leadership fellowships, coalition initiatives, and programs that honor human dignity,
cultivate cultural humility, prevent conflict, and strengthen civic life across New York’s diverse
communities.
A committed public servant, Rabbi Kaplan is a Commissioner on the New York City
Commission on Human Rights, a chaplain to the MTA Police Department, and a clergy liaison to
the NYPD Chief of Community Affairs. He serves on Bronx Community Board 8 (formerly
chairing its Health & Hospital Committee) and sits on advisory and governing boards including
Northwell Health, Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, the Holocaust, Genocide &
Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, the Interfaith Center of New York, and the
67th Precinct Clergy Council’s anti-gun-violence initiative.
Rabbi Kaplan’s career spans government, academia, and global consultancy. He served on
Mayor Eric Adams’ transition team, the NYC DOE Interfaith Advisory Council, and the New
York State Census 2020 Coalition. He taught Jewish Studies at The City College of New York
and is an instructor at the Academy for Jewish Religion. Internationally, he has led U.S. State
Department and foreign-office trainings in Israel, Northern Ireland, the U.K., and elsewhere on
coalition building, cultural competency, and community–police relations, and co-founded the
New York–Jerusalem Experts Exchange.
Under his leadership the Center has incubated and launched numerous civic
initiatives—YouthBridge-NY (replicated in Munich), We Are All New York (replicated in
Sydney), Bridges-NY Fellowships, Project C.A.R.E./One Crown Heights, and coalitions
addressing health disparities, immigrant aging, and interfaith security. A longtime mediator,
mentor, and consultant, Rabbi Kaplan has advised nonprofits, government agencies, and
international institutions on building resilient, inclusive communities and translating diversity
into shared civic strength.