Rabbi Yael Ridberg

Biography

Rabbi Yael B. Ridberg has dedicated her rabbinate to building communities rooted in study, spirituality, and action. Following her 1997 ordination from The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, she became the first BJ rabbinic fellow. She later served at West End Synagogue, including as sole rabbi from 1998 to 2010, before moving with her family to San Diego, where she served as the spiritual leader of Congregation Dor Hadash until 2025.

An active leader in Jewish communal life, Rabbi Ridberg is a past president of both the San Diego Association of Rabbis and Cantors and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. A passionate teacher and advocate for Jewish engagement and social justice, her writing has appeared in Times of Israel, Huffington Post, and Kveller. 

A transplanted New Yorker, Rabbi Ridberg lives in San Diego with her husband and children.