Meet a Scientologist—Monroe Kleiderman, Serving Others
Scientologist Monroe Kleiderman has been using Scientology to help others for more than three decades.
Traditional values and a strong sense of duty set the direction of Monroe Kleiderman’s life.
“I grew up in New York watching John Wayne take on the bad guys on TV,” he says. “It was important to me to help my country. From a young age, people were my priority. I wanted to take responsibility for others.”
A retired U.S. Army Reserve captain, Kleiderman, attended Pennsylvania Military College and served two years on active duty and 20 years in the reserves.
His military training prepared him for a great deal in life, but not to salvage his first marriage or cope when it ended in divorce in 1975. And his “solutions”—drinking too much and the occasional joint—were only making things worse.
It was then that Kleiderman first heard about Scientology from a casual acquaintance. Back in New York by then, he went to a local Scientology Mission to find out more.
“I never really considered myself very spiritual before, but in my first auditing—Scientology spiritual counseling—I became certain of myself as a spiritual being,” he says. “That had a tremendous impact on me.”
Kleiderman served as a staff member at the Church of Scientology of New York, where he trained as a Dianetics auditor (counselor).
“You get tremendous certainty on the technology when you see how it works on the people you help,” he says.
It was at the New York Church that he met Joanne, his wife of 35 years. They own their own company that designs, manufactures and sells a line of women’s clothing. They moved their business to Clearwater more than 20 years ago and for 10 years, Kleiderman chaired the Church of Scientology of Tampa parishioner committee that provides social programs to the community.
He was among the Volunteer Ministers who provided relief during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons in Florida and Louisiana.
“I derive immense enjoyment and satisfaction from knowing that I can help and that my help makes a difference,” says Kleiderman. “Scientology enabled me to discover the real me. It helped me become more able and successful in life. I never wanted to be a follower—I wanted to take responsibility for people. Now I have the technology to do so.”
To learn more about what Scientologists are doing to create a better world, watch “Meet a Scientologist” videos at www.scientology.org.
The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total more than 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.
A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, with videos now viewed more than 6 million times.