Rabbi Dennis Sasso earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. He holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Temple University, Philadelphia, and was ordained as a Rabbi by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, also in Philadelphia. Rabbi Sasso has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his doctoral studies at Temple University and Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he obtained his Doctor of Ministry degree. Rabbi Sasso is the recipient of a Doctor of Divinity degree, Honoris Causa, from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1999) and Christian Theological Seminary (2000).
Rabbi Sasso is a member of various scholarly and academic societies. He has served on numerous interfaith, civic, and community boards and agencies. Rabbi Sasso is currently the Chairman of the Indianapolis Board of Rabbis and past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. He is also a past president of the Indiana Interreligious Commission on Human Equality and was Co-Chairman of the Race Relations Leadership Network of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. Rabbi Sasso served as Co-Chairman of the Citizens Complaint Working Group, a committee appointed by the Mayor to review and make recommendations to upgrade the Ordinance that regulates the Civilian Police Review Process. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Center as well as of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.
Rabbi Sasso writes a monthly column titled “Focus on Faith” in the Op-Ed page of the Sunday edition of The Indianapolis Star. He is a member of the Publications Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly and of the Advisory Board of The Reconstructionist, a Journal of Contemporary Jewish Thought and Practice.
Rabbi Sasso has lectured nationally and abroad and has published scholarly and popular articles on Caribbean Jewry, Reconstructionist Judaism, the Jewish family, the life cycle, spirituality, and liturgy. He was decorated as a “Sagamore of the Wabash,” a distinguished citizen award presented by the Governor of the State of Indiana. Rabbi Sasso is the recipient of the “Community Service Award” from the NAACP and the “Fostering Life” Award of the Indianapolis Chapter of Links in recognition of his leadership in Interfaith and Interracial relations.
Rabbi Sasso and his wife, Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, are the first husband and wife rabbinical couple in Jewish history. They are the recipients of an award for the “Enrichment of Judaism, the Family, and the Rabbinate” from the B’nai B’rith Women’s Organization. They are the proud parents of two children, David Sasso and Debora Herold, who is married to Brad Herold. The couple is also blessed with four grandchildren, Darwin, Ari, Levi, and Naomi.