Rabbi

—-Envelope, official:
—-—-Rabbi (full name)
—-—-(Congregation)
—-—-(Address)

—-Salutation:
—-—-Dear Rabbi (Surname):

How to address a rabbi

How to Write the Names of a Rabbi & His Wife?

How do I write the names of a Rabbi and his wife on an invitation?
—-—-—-—-– Carol

Dear Carol:
Use the first form if they use the same surname. The second one works if they use different surnames or she has a special honorific such as ‘Dr.’:

—-Envelope:
—-—-Rabbi (Full Name)
—-—-and Mrs. (Surname)

—-—-Rabbi (Full Name)
—-—-and Ms./Dr. (Full Name)

—-Salutation:
—-—-Dear Rabbi and Mrs. (Surname)
—-—-Dear Rabbi (Surname) and Ms./Dr. (Surname)

– Robert Hickey

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

How to Write the Names of a Rabbi & His Dr. Wife?

How do I write the names of a Rabbi and his university professor wife? Their names are Rabbi David and Dr. Sarah Schmidt.
—-—-—-—-—-– Tonya Krell

Dear Ms. Krell:

When people have special honorific such as ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Dr.’ you don’t combine their name with other names. Write the name of the person with the higher precedence first, and the name of the person with the lower precedence second. Here the Rabbi is first because a member of clergy outranks a person with an academic degree.   How to Address a Rabbi

—-Envelope:
——–Rabbi David Schmidt
—-—-and Dr. Sarah Schmidt

—-Salutation:
—-—-Dear Rabbi Schmidt and Dr. Schmidt:

– Robert Hickey How to Address a Rabbi

How to Address a Rabbi With a Doctorate?

How do I write the name of a rabbi who has a doctorate?
Is it Rabbi Dr, (Full Name), Ph.D.
—-—-—-—-– Russ

Dear Russ,

—-#1) Rabbis don’t typically use ‘Dr. (Name)’ in written or oral address. People write in to me saying they’ve met a rabbi who did prefer ‘Dr. (Name)’, but I have never encountered such a Rabbi. Every Rabbi I’ve discussed this with says “being a Rabbi is so high, it outranks everything else.”

—-#2) Post nominals for academic degrees– doctorates, J.D., masters, bachelors – would be noted in his biography, not included as part of his/her name. Same with certifications, affiliations and licenses. They are noted on his biography /CV /resume, not noted as part of his/her name in written or oral address.

So, use simply:
——–Rabbi (Name)

– Robert Hickey

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

How to Address a Two Rabbis?

How would I address and invitation to Rabbis that are husband and wife?
—-—-—-—-– D.K.

Dear D.K.:   How to Address a Rabbi
When you have a special honorific, formally you don’t combine names. The them both …. first one … then the other.

—-Envelope:
—-—-Rabbi Joel Pine
—-—-and Rabbi Julia Pine
—-—-2141 Wilson Boulevard
—-—-Silver Spring, Maryland 20987

Which one you put first will depend on the topic on which you are writing:

—-#1) If it’s an invitation to her and he is invited as her spouse
—-—-…. she’d be first

—-#2) If it’s an invitation to him and she is invited as his spouse
—-—-…. list him first.

—-#3) If it is to both equally, follow the order in ‘Mr. and Mrs.’
—-—-…. he’s first, she is second.

– Robert Hickey How to Address a Rabbi

Related Posts:
——–—Couples: Private Citizens
——–—Couples: Christian Clergy
——–—Couples: Rabbis
——–—Couples: Military
——–—Couples: U.S. Officials
——–—Couples: Same Sex

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

When Should You Use the Forms on this Page?

You can use these forms of address for any mode of communication: addressing a letter, invitation, card or Email. (If there are differences between the official and social forms of address, I will have mentioned the different forms.)  The form noted in the salutation is the same form you say when you say their name in conversation or when you greet them.
___What I don’t cover on this site are many things I do cover in my book: all the rules of forms of address, about names, international titles, precedence, complimentary closes, details on invitations, place cards, all sorts of introductions, etc. I hope you’ll get a copy of the book if you’d like the further detail.

Not Finding Your Answer?

—-#1)  At right on desktops, at the bottom of every page on tablets and phones, is a list of all the offices, officials & topics covered on the site.

—-#2)  If you don’t see the official you seek included or your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day or so (unless I am traveling.)  Note: I don’t have mailing or Email addresses for any of the officials and I don’t keep track of offices that exist only in history books.

—-#3)  If I think your question is of interest to others, Sometimes I post the question  – but always change all the specifics.

— Robert Hickey 

Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”

Recommended Resources:  The Protocol School of Washington (PSOW) and Protocol and Diplomacy International – Protocol Officers Association (PDI-POA)    For more information see the Protocol Resources page.