David, Lawyer, Professor
Marcia, Doctoral Candidate, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Jacob, 30, Banker on the Upper East Side in NYC, married to Martha; Avi, 28, Senior Tour Director, Evolve Tours, Toronto; Talia, 24, Law Student at Tulane University; Yonah, 22, Senior at Syracuse University; Leora, 20, on her Junior year abroad in Florence
Members since 1991
BDJ is eclectic, warm, committed, down to earth, and embracing. It’s known internationally as a brand that supports progressive Modern Orthodoxy. We’re true to our roots. It’s a halakhic environment, within whose framework we can pursue appropriate initiatives, the most recent being the appointment to the clergy of our dear Morateinu Alissa Newborn-Thomas. She is a graduate of Yeshiva Maharat and an outstanding, up-and-coming educator, role model and visionary.
When there’s an issue that involves standing up for what’s right and solidarity with the best strands within the Jewish people, BDJ is there. An example is when our rabbi appeared on the cover of the Jewish Journal, having traveled to Las Vegas with some of our congregants, to denounce a bigamist who refused to give his wife a get.
Near and dear to me personally is our service to the homeless. Since it was inaugurated about 15 years ago, I have been the host of a monthly tikkun olam lunch for the homeless and less fortunate in our community. It’s the norm at these lunches for a miracle to happen. At a recent lunch, just after our invited musician had to cancel, a man whom no one had seen before walked in with a guitar on his back. He had played with Shlomo Carlebach decades earlier. He took out his guitar and started leading the group in song, augmenting the music with words of Torah and his perspective of being down on one’s luck, speaking from the heart. It was remarkable. Instead of us saying to the homeless folks in our community, “We from our heights are reaching down to provide something for you at your level,” the spirit exemplified was, “We are providing a space for you to realize your own goals, wherever they’re at, and to socialize, reach out, and talk about what’s on your minds.” Rabbi Kanefsky is well known among the homeless population of L.A. He gives Ralph cards to them, serves as their counselor, confidant, benefactor and friend.
Both he and the shul are unique, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.
