Rabbi David Eber brings with him a passion for teaching, a warm presence, and a desire to help others find meaning in Jewish wisdom and spiritual practices. A graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, he received the Joseph L. and Ann W. Pinkenson Prize in Rabbinics, and the Tikkun Olam Award in 2015 for his work with Philadelphia’s Emerging Religious Leaders. He also has a MA in Jewish Education from the Hebrew Union College in New York City.
Rabbi Eber grew up in Salem, Oregon and attended Reconstructionist Congregation Temple Beth Sholom. After earning a BA from the University of Oregon in 2008 with a major in History and a minor in Judaic Studies, he joined AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, where he worked as an organizer for the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED). He remained in New Orleans for an additional three years continuing to work for CSED doing environmental and community organizing.
Rabbi Eber served as a teacher and leader in rabbinical school in a variety of settings: Hillel Rabbinic Intern at Haverford College, Penn State University, and Bucknell University; High Holiday leader at both Reform and Reconstructionist Synagogues; interfaith and climate justice organizer; religious schoolteacher; youth group coordinator; and camp counselor. In his final year of rabbinical school, he served as the Kleinbaum Rabbinic Intern at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ), the original Reconstructionist synagogue in Manhattan.
In his first position after Rabbinical School, Rabbi Eber served as the Assistant Rabbi for Education at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston, IL. At JRC, Rabbi Eber oversaw the design and implementation of a new school model that brought innovations in and beyond the classroom – from 1:1 Hebrew education, innovative tefillot for youth, and more.
In his free-time he loves to cook, add to his vinyl record collection, play backgammon and cribbage, and spend time with his partner Jennie and cat Zeek.
