Elliot Kukla is the first openly transgender person to be ordained by the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.
Kukla is a rabbi at the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center.
[3][4] Later, at the request of a friend of his who was also transgender, he wrote the first blessing sanctifying the sex-change process to be included in the 2007 edition of the Union for Reform Judaism's resource manual for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender inclusion called Kulanu.
[5][6] Kukla has also written for Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish responsibility, Zeek: A Journal of Jewish Thought and Culture and Lilith, and other anthologies.
[1] Before moving to San Francisco, he served congregations in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as West Hollywood, California and Lubbock, Texas.