He was born in Chicago, the son of Rabbi Dr. W. Gunther Plaut, an internationally renowned Jewish scholar who lived in Toronto, Ontario until his death on February 8, 2012 at the age of 99.

Prior to this, he served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, San Jose, California from 1985 to 1993 and Congregation Beth El in Windsor, Ontario, Canada from 1970 to 1984 where he spearheaded the synagogue’s growth of more than a hundred percent.

He was the editor of the Journal of the Canadian Jewish Historical Society from 1977 to 1984, and Through the Sound of Many Voices: Writings Contributed on the Occasion of the 70th Birthday of W. Gunther Plaut.

Rabbi Plaut held many civic and religious posts and was the youngest person to receive Windsor Jewry's highest communal honor in 1985, becoming the Jewish National Fund Negev Dinner honoree.

Active in a variety of communal activities, Rabbi Plaut headed the Jewish National Fund, United Jewish Appeal of Windsor, State of Israel Bonds, Credit Counseling Service of Metropolitan Windsor, Counsel of Agency Executives and Rabbis in San Jose, and was chaplain for both the San Jose Fire and Police departments.