Dario Hunter
Dario David Hunter (born April 21, 1983),[1] also known as Yisroel Hunter,[1] is an American rabbi, lawyer and politician. He is the first Muslim-born man to be ordained as a rabbi.[2][3] A former member of the Youngstown, Ohio Board of Education, Hunter sought the 2020 Green Party presidential nomination, ultimately coming in second. He ran as the presidential nominee of the Oregon Progressive Party and elsewhere under the party label of Progressive Party in the 2020 United States presidential election.[4][5][6]
Dario Hunter
April 21, 1983
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Progressive (2020–present)
Democratic (before 2017)
Independent (2017–2018)
Green (2018–2020)
Background[edit]
Hunter is openly gay and was raised by his Iranian Muslim father and African American mother in Newark and Jersey City in New Jersey.[7]
A former environmental attorney in Israel, congregational rabbi in Youngstown, Ohio and campus rabbi at the College of Wooster, he currently lives in Los Angeles, California.[4][7][1][8]
Rabbinic career[edit]
Hunter converted to Judaism, first through the Reform movement and then through an Orthodox process.[1] When he was an Orthodox Jew, Hunter described himself as a "socially liberal conservative" and noted that he had previously engaged in "pro-Israel political activism."[9] He was ordained as a rabbi in 2012 by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute in New York City.[10][2][3][7] As a rabbi, he later described himself as "very liberal and open minded."[1]
A member of Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, Hunter was fired from a position as a part-time rabbi at Ohev Tzedek-Shaarei Torah synagogue after he announced his run for the Green Party presidential nomination and critical comments he made about Israel were published by Cleveland.com.[11][12][13] Addressing a Green Party presidential debate about his own change over time on the issue of Israel, Hunter attributed it to "realizing that you're wrong and then doing better and committing to do better as a human being...."[14] He stated that though he felt "blacklisted" from the rabbinic profession, he would "continue to support the cause of Palestinians and human rights causes all across this world, even at a personal cost..."[14]
Activism[edit]
Legal actions[edit]
In 2017, Hunter filed a lawsuit against the Youngstown City School District in the Ohio Supreme Court for failing to provide public records. His request focused on a company contracted to hire principals for the district. The district settled with Hunter, providing the records and paying him costs. Hunter planned to donate the $100 awarded for court fees to the Boys and Girls Club.[46]
In 2018, Hunter sued the Ohio Department of Education in the Ohio Supreme Court for failing to provide public records on an investigation into Youngstown's CEO for alleged inappropriate conduct.[47] The Department of Education settled with Hunter, providing the records and paying towards his costs.[47]