Mr. Rudenstine was raised as a Roman Catholic and grew up speaking Italian with his mother’s family. Later in life, he said, he began to understand more about his Jewish heritage. He also pointed out that he had attended an Episcopalian boarding school and a university with Presbyterian roots. “One way or another, I’ve become extremely ecumenical.” He attended the Wooster School in Danbury on a scholarship and was selected to participate in Camp Rising Sun, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program.