Ph.D. in American Jewish History Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters Lance Jonathan Sussman (born July 17, 1954) is a historian of American Jewish History, college professor, Chair of the Board of Governors of Gratz College, Melrose Park, PA and until summer 2022 the senior rabbi, now emeritus, at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (KI)[1] located in Elkins Park, PA.

His father, Charles Sussman (1925–2010),[6] was awarded a bronze star and other decorations for valor during World War II while serving in the 95th Infantry Division.

In 1975, after only three years in college, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa[9] and graduated cum laude with a BA in Religious Studies.

[2] Ironically, Leeser was a leader of the Jewish community in Philadelphia, where Sussman would ultimately spend the bulk of his rabbinical career.

During his years at SUNY Binghamton, Sussman was also a Group Leader for Birthright Israel[22] and the founder of Keshet Press, a not-for-profit company which published books on Jewish history in the southern tier of New York.

Einhorn began his American career in Baltimore, where ironically Sussman was raised, but was forced to move to Philadelphia because of his opposition to slavery.

Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf (1858–1923),[27] founded the National Farm School in 1896 (now Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania).

Since its founding in 1998, he has been a member of the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After it was passed, Sussman publicly remarked, that despite his amendments, the new Platform, "doesn’t really address the religious needs of Reform Judaism at this time."

In 2001 Sussman, working with Rabbi Robert M. Seltzer, a professor at Hunter College, City University of New York, responded to the 1999 platform by publishing "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism As it Approaches its Third Century.

Grounded in Jewish history, the two Rabbis (who are also historians) argued that Judaism's "record of this adaptability and enduring faith"[39] needed to be continued into the 21st Century.

We insist that morality is central to Judaism and this cosmic order confers ethical responsibilities on us as beings with the capacity to choose between good and evil.

"[39] They emphasized the importance of Reform Judaism in "affirming the exemplary power of morally courageous deeds, the sanctity of life, and the possibility of personal transcendence through the apprehension of spiritual beauty.

"[39] They further argued that modern Judaism should be understood as "compatible with reason, historical knowledge, scientific thought, and democratic values.

"[39] Seltzer and Sussman urged Reform Jewish leaders to "recommit" the movement to the "highest moral and religious values" and "to the ideals of truthfulness, justice, compassion, and universal peace as envisioned by the prophets – humanity’s best hope in the new age it has entered.

"[47] A major tool for librarians, OCLC World Cat, concluded serious libraries should buy the book because "The author provides remarkable insight into the early development of organized Jewish life in the United States" in "a comprehensive work about a long-neglected but central figure" of the nineteenth century American Jewish community.

[48] Another historian described the book as a "major contribution" and "the most comprehensive study of one of the most important Jewish leaders in pre-Civil War America.

"[49] Indeed, Isaac Leeser and Sussman's other books have received favorable reviews in major academic journals and on-line resources that cover both U.S. history in general and also Judaic Studies.

[54] In the early 1990s Sussman worked with the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW)[55] to collect and distribute food in Binghamton NY.

He has also worked with the Thanks-Giving Square Foundation,[59] a Dallas, Texas-based UN NGO that promotes global interfaith understanding through the practice of giving thanks.

[60] In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Sussman helped run a fund raising effort at KI in cooperation with local Haitian organizations.

[61] Sussman has made trips to the Soviet Union (1987)[62] and Cuba (January 5–13, 2009) to show solidarity with Jews under totalitarian regimes and to help collect information about Jewish communities in these countries.

From 2015 until January 2019, Sussman served as a Trustee of the American Board of IsraAID(founded in 2001),[63] an Israeli-based not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization that has been engaged in emergency medical and rescue efforts after disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, tsunamis in Sri Lanka and Japan, and Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Sussman also developed a similar approach to Adult Education in the sanctuary by collaborating with a local digital artist, Joan Myerson Shrager.