Benjamin Barnett has served as rabbi of Beit Am since August 2006. Originally from the Chicago area, he received his B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, and his rabbinic ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Prior to entering rabbinical school, he worked with mentally ill adults, led wilderness expeditions for teenagers, and lived, worked and studied in Israel. He is devoted to the spiritual life, in particular prayer, meditation, and the cycle of Jewish time, as a means of inspiring and guiding loving, conscious action in the world. He and his wife Rachel live in Corvallis with their children—Lev, 5; and Arava, 3; and Judah, 1.