Rabbi Harold Schulweis z”l (1924-2014) was longtime spiritual leader of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California. A public intellectual and social activist, Schulweis studied under Mordecai Kaplan at the Jewish Theological Seminary and was considered to be a pivotal Reconstructionist voice. He was an early advocate of the Havurah movement, and argued for radical inclusion of those traditionally deemed outsiders in the synagogue, such as interfaith families and gay and lesbian Jews. He founded the Jewish Fund for the Righteous, helped create Mazon to combat hunger in the United States, and founded Jewish World Watch, a genocide watchdog organization.