Ethan Felson

Ethan Felson has a long career bridging divides between different communities. For more than 25 years he worked in Jewish community relations helping to represent the Jewish community and building important interfaith networks, first in Connecticut and then nationally. His efforts brought together leaders from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Ba’hai, and other communities. He spearheaded numerous trips to Israel with religious leaders including a groundbreaking Interfaith Partners for Peace program which paired rabbis and non-Jewish clergy from cities for a one-week trip to meet with Israelis and Palestinians and study sacred texts, tour holy sites, and engage in deep and meaningful dialogue. He attended many Jewish and Christian denomination conventions, helping delegates to reach greater understanding of one another’s perspectives. He has spoken hundreds of times in settings about this work - and has been published widely in journals and other periodicals as well as in chapters he wrote for several books.

Ethan Felson has had a distinguished career fostering interfaith dialogue and bridging divides between diverse communities. Over 25 years, he worked in Jewish community relations, initially in Connecticut and later on a national scale, representing the Jewish community and creating significant interfaith networks. His efforts brought together leaders from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahá’í, and other communities. Among his notable initiatives was the Interfaith Partners for Peace program, which organized trips to Israel for rabbis and non-Jewish clergy to engage with Israelis and Palestinians, study sacred texts, visit holy sites, and participate in meaningful dialogues.

Felson also attended numerous Jewish and Christian conventions to foster mutual understanding between these faiths. He has spoken extensively about his work and contributed to various journals, periodicals, and books. His leadership extended beyond interfaith relations to advocacy for LGBTQ rights and combating antisemitism through his role as the executive director of A Wider Bridge. In this capacity, he advanced LGBTQ equality in Israel and launched campaigns like “We Refuse to Choose,” which championed the intersectionality of queer and Jewish identities, and Queers Against Antisemitism which fights anti-Jewish bias in the LGTBQ communities and beyond.

Previously, Felson held senior roles at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Israel Action Network, where he worked on countering efforts to delegitimize Israel. He also contributed to grassroots initiatives such as the Jewish Coalition for Literacy while serving as associate executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. Felson’s extensive writings have appeared in publications like Sapir, The Forward, and Washington Blade. He is a graduate of Lehigh University with a law degree from the University of Connecticut.