Rifat Sonsino, scholar and rabbi, is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, Massachusetts. Ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he holds a degree in law and a Ph.D. in Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies. He has served as editor of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Journal and is the co-author of Finding God--Ten Jewish Responses and What Happens after I Die? Jewish Views of Life after Death. He and his wife, Ines, have two children--Daniel and Deborah--and are the proud grandparents of Ariella.