Rabbi Cassi Kail is honored to serve as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in San Pedro. She considers it a privilege to stand with people through the joyous and challenging moments of their lives. Rabbi Kail teaches a wide array of classes for adults and children, including Torah study, Ethical Wills, Discussions about Israel, and how to approach prayer authentically. She enjoys bringing our tradition to life, whether through a Sukkot experience uplifting the stories of people who experience homelessness, a 6th grade B’mitzvah hike up “Mt. Sinai,” or an escape-the-room tefillah for Torah school students. She is proud to contribute to the creativity, spirituality, and communal warmth central to TBE.
A board member of the San Pedro Faith Consortium (SPFC) and the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis (PARR), she is a Truah chavera, and an active convention committee member for the Central Conference of American Rabbis. She is especially proud of her work as a founding board member of Harbor Connects, a non-profit organization created during the pandemic to support neighbors and service providers in the fight against poverty.
Rabbi Kail received an M.A. in Hebrew Literature in 2010 and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2011. While in seminary, she co-founded a young minyan called the Wandering Jews of Astoria. Before moving to California, she was the Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Utica, NY. She co-founded an interfaith dialogue and social action group called Interfaith Matters and served on the board of the Empire State Anti-Poverty Initiative of the Mohawk Valley.
She lives in Palos Verdes, California, with her husband, Josh, and their children, Noam and Talia.
Rabbi Cassi Kail 