Kaleb spent his formative years slowly falling in love with the incredibly biodiverse chaparral landscape of Southern California. He spent summers in tents in the Sierra Mountains and winters in cabins in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains — and most days generally in the Pacific Ocean, where he could sometimes watch dolphins and pelicans from a surfboard he didn’t know how to use. It wasn’t until college, though, that he came to an awareness of his affinity for the beauty and goodness of the living world. This awakening, coupled with his incurable obsession with pondering the meaning of life on earth, led him to a vocation in environmental philosophy.

Kaleb’s academic work sits at the intersection of philosophy, environmental studies, and social justice. He has presented and published papers on various topics, including the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, settler colonialism and environmental responsibility, and the importance of oral traditions. He holds an M.A. in Environmental Philosophy from the University of Montana, where his work culminated in developing a distinctly Jewish and anti-colonial relationship with land.

The practical side of his vocation has led him to working and volunteering in farming, native plant gardening, ecological restoration, and conservation. Kaleb loves to be outside — running, hiking, camping, and whispering, under his breath, Hebrew blessings for the exuberance of the world. When he’s not outside, he likes to make bread, read obscure philosophy, and watch cartoons that remind him of his childhood.