Family and Career
Yoffie was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, where his family belonged to historic Temple Emanuel, and he was involved in the Reform Movement's Youth organization, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY). Yoffie first held the position of president in the Northeast Region of NFTY before moving on to be the organization's Vice President in 1966-1967.
After high school Yoffie spent his freshman year at Stanford University, and graduated from Brandeis University. He received his Rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College in New York in 1974. He served congregations in Lynbrook, NY, and Durham, NC, before joining the URJ as director of the Midwest Council in 1980. In 1983 he was named Executive Director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA). In 1992 he became vice president of the URJ and director of the Commission on Social Action. In addition, he served as executive editor of Reform Judaism magazine. On July 1, 1996, he succeeded Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler as president of the Union for Reform Judaism. In 1999 The Jewish Daily Forward named Yoffie the number one Jewish leader in America.
He is married to Amy Jacobson Yoffie. The couple has two children, and resides in Westfield, NJ.
On June 10, 2010 Yoffie announced his plan to step down from the post of president of URJ in June 2012, when he will be 65. Rabbi Richard Jacobs, currently the senior rabbi at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY, is appointed as his successor.
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