LGBTQIA+ LEGACY VIDEOS

Rabbi Allen Bennett was born in 1946 in Akron, Ohio. From a young age, Allen was identified by his peers as a prospective rabbi. A critical part of his early formation was his annual participation in summer camp at Camp Nebagamon, in Wisconsin, beginning at age eleven. He continues to relate to the camp today. Allen attended Western Reserve University (later Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, Ohio, where he earned a B.A. with honors in Psychology in 1968. He attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (a Reform Jewish seminary) in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also earned a Bachelor of Hebrew Letters in 1972, and a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and rabbinical ordination in 1974.

Like many LGBTQIA+ individuals, Allen's first inklings that he might be gay emerged during high school. However, he primarily remained closeted during his time at seminary, and did not fully come out until after finishing his rabbinic education. He was one of the first, if not the first, openly gay employed rabbis. He showed many, especially those who followed in his footsteps, that to be a good rabbi and live with integrity one needs to be their authentic self.