Rabbi Kliel is the spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chayim. He was ordained in 2004 at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). As a senior rabbinical student, Kliel received the prestigious Rabbi Marshal T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellowship at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun. In 2014 he was awarded the Human Rights Hero Award by T’ruah: The rabbinic call for Human Rights.