Rabbi Oren J. Hayon grew up in Columbus, Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree from Rice University and his rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Following his ordination, Rabbi Hayon served Temple Emanu-El in Dallas and worked as the rabbi and executive director at the Hillel at the University of Washington in Seattle

Rabbi Hayon has held a number of leadership roles in the Reform Movement, serving as a Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and as an editor, translator and contributor of Hebrew texts and poetry for a number of publications, including Mishkan HaNefesh, the High Holy Day machzor; LaKol Eit, the CCAR Rabbi’s Manual; Mishkan HaSeder, a Passover haggadah; and Inscribed: Encounters with the Ten Commandments.