In September, Brandon Rattiner assumed his duties as the new Senior Director of JEWISHcolorado’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). Rattiner has deep experience in government, politics, and advocacy. In addition, he has a long history of leadership in the Jewish community, including his time on the JEWISHcolorado Board of Directors and as a JCRC lay leader. Recently, he talked with JEWISHcolorado about the ways his personal experiences and professional career have prepared him for his new role at Jco.
This position represents a significant career transition for you—from your work as an attorney in the arena of climate change to advocacy for the Jewish community in Colorado.
This is the job that everyone thought I would be in since I was 15. It has taken me a while to get here, but I have always been driven by the desire to build and support Jewish community. Since a very young age, I have found leadership opportunities in organizations, and within those organizations, I have been fortunate to have had some really wonderful mentors.
What organizations are we talking about?
BBYO, JCC Ranch Camp, the Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour, Moishe House, Hillel, the Israel Policy Forum, itrek, and so many others.
My colleagues and friends in those activities became my family and helped me realize who I was and what I cared about. They empowered me to understand that participating wasn’t just a matter of showing up and doing what the staff told us. We were responsible for building the programs and community we wanted. That was how I learned to act in those formative years, and those programs made me what I am today.
It sounds like you became very involved in BBYO.
My involvement in BBYO was the most important experience of my youth—I deferred a year of college to serve as the international president of BBYO. In some programming for young people, it’s clear that the adult is in charge, and you do what they say. I am a self-directed person, and in BBYO, especially in 2005, the students were the program. We led the chapter and picked its values. We sorted ourselves into chapters based on personalities. We planned our own programs. There was an infrastructure, but it was up to us to act within it. I found that level of responsibility so invigorating. For someone who cared deeply about being part of a great community, it was the perfect vehicle.
What memories have stayed with you from your time on the Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour?
When I went on IST in 2004, I had never been out of the country. Visiting Poland was life changing because my grandfather was a Holocaust survivor of Polish descent, and that has always been a key part of my family’s story. Seeing where he came from made his experience feel that much more personal and less abstract. I was also changed by seeing the infrastructure of evil built in such a beautiful place. That juxtaposition has always stuck with me.
In Israel, I felt a connection with the people and place immediately. Being there with some of my best friends enriched the experience even more. When we spent nights in the desert, I felt the camaraderie and solidarity with the people on the trip and the land. Israel felt like home.
How did these experiences lay a foundation for your new position?
I am conscious of the fact that these experiences were developed and fostered by the organized Jewish community. Even to this day, my life is shaped by Jewish programs like PJ Library. These programs are the products of years of investment and strategy, and they need leadership and resources to continue. I feel that it is now my responsibility to pay back what I have received and make sure future generations have the same opportunities.
You attended Tufts University and carved out a leadership role for yourself there.
Yes, I was the student body president. It was just a continuation of my efforts to build community wherever I am. I just tried to be my authentic self and meet other people where they are.
After Tufts, you spent five years working professionally before heading to law school.
Initially, I was a fellow at El Pomar Foundation. Then I led efforts to protect funding for land conservation at the Colorado General Assembly. After that, I served as Sen. Mark Udall’s Denver Metro Area Regional Director in charge of outreach in 10 metro counties around Denver. My work for Sen. Udall sparked my interest in law school, as I didn’t come from a family of attorneys. I met so many different people in that job, and the ones that seemed to be doing the most interesting work had JD degrees. Not all were practicing attorneys, but what they all had was the ability to think and work strategically, whether they were government officials or nonprofit leaders.
After law school at Georgetown University Law Center, you worked at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C., and you lived in Salt Lake City while you clerked for the Honorable Carolyn McHugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. What brought you back to Colorado?
To start with, even before I went to law school, I knew I wanted to work for Kaplan Kirsch LLP. Kaplan Kirsch is a Colorado-based firm where I could focus on climate change law for great clients like public sector agencies, environmental nonprofits, and renewable energy companies.
But it was also the Colorado lifestyle that brought my family back here. If it were up to me, I would spend every night in a tent in the mountains. I also value friendliness and balance, and my family is still located here. So there were several reasons to come back. That was always the plan, although I really did love Salt Lake City.
You started by saying that taking this new position seemed like your destiny. But why now?
I value the work I did in the climate change universe and the clients I had, but I felt compelled by the urgency of the moment. I have been involved as a lay leader with the JCRC for the past two years, but since October 7, I realized to accomplish what I want, I need to devote more time than a lay leader can provide.
What do you see that needs to be accomplished?
The needs are so clear and wide-ranging. It’s not just fighting rising antisemitism. It’s not just advocating for Israel. It’s also bringing the community together to accomplish key goals and building coalitions with other groups so that the Jewish community’s political and civic priorities can move forward. The JCRC needs to reflect this new moment in time with a full realization of what it means to be Jewish in America in 2024.
How do you see that happening?
I would like to see the JCRC be more diverse, representing a broader range of Jewish identities and experiences present in the community. I would also like to see the JCRC become more nimble, empowering member organizations and community members-at-large to respond to programmatic goals.
What does success look like?
Internal success means that everyone who comes to the JCRC feels they are given a fair and open opportunity to be heard, and even if they don’t agree with JCRC decisions, they believe the JCRC is doing its best to represent them within the broader Jewish community.
Externally, I believe that healthy politics is good for the Jews. The Jewish community can only thrive in a tolerant, pluralistic community that protects minority rights and is committed to democracy. I think the Jewish community has a particularly useful story to tell about the dangers of anti-democratic behavior. I want to use that experience to make Colorado’s civic community healthier, safer, and more free. We are lucky that Colorado has a collaborative spirit and ethos. I think what the JCRC can do within Colorado could be a model for the nation.
You have two young children. How does their future figure into your new professional role?
I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old, and I don’t want them to ever be in a position where they feel they have to choose between being Jewish and being their authentic selves. We need to build a world that works for them.