Our rabbi
Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Shearith Israel since 2002.
He was ordained rabbi by the Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in 1996 and served as rabbi of the Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador from 1996 to 2002. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Buenos Aires (1994).
He is a graduate of the Senior Educators program at the Melton Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a member of the Central American Leadership Initiative (CALI) and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He is a professor of the Chair of Judaic Studies at Universidad Santa María La Antigua (USMA). In 2022, he received an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York for his 25 years as a rabbi.
He is currently the president of the Interreligious Committee of Panama and commissioner of the Latin American Jewish Congress for interreligious dialogue in Central America and the Caribbean.
A fan of reading and soccer, he is a fan of River Plate.
- Gustavo is married to Ruthy and they have a son, Dan.
Rabbi Gustavo's book, Trying to Do the Right Thing, for sale at KSI.
On August 15, during the celebration of the Panama Book Fair, Rabbi Gustavo presented his first book, “Trying to Do the Right Thing”. Trying to do the right thing in a joint presentation with Father Miguel Angel Ciaurriz and hiswork Lo mejor está por llegar.
Ttrying to do the right thing is a compilation of columns published during the more than twenty years of The book offers through its pages a pleasant and profound journey through ethical issues, Jewish festivities and traditions, interreligious relations and reflections on life. Each column reflects Rabbi Gustavo’s ability to address complex issues with integrity and clarity.
The book is available for sale at the Kol Shearith Israel Congregation office. You can order it by calling 300-2080.
