Dear Reader,

Before you learn “about me,” just know that Aaron doesn't like to refer to himself in the third person. Only Elmo from Sesame Street can get away with that. So, let's break down the fourth wall and speak panim el panim, face to face.

I was born in Memphis but have lived all over the country, including NJ, WA, VA, CA, OR, GA, TX, and now FL. I went to nine schools, K-12. It wasn’t the military; rather, my father worked for Jewish Community Centers, helping Jews come together and celebrate life. I spent every weekday at a JCC for after-school and every imaginable school break. I essentially lived there.

When I completed my Bar Mitzvah, breaking my teeth with our sacred language, I vowed never to take another Hebrew class. That is, until I assumed I could get an easy “A” in Biblical Hebrew during my sophomore year at the University of Oregon. I was wrong. It wasn't easy. But I did pass. Moreover, the intersection of community, belonging, and academic rigor, and of sacred text and knowledge, produced a sensation I had never experienced while sitting in a classroom—unrelenting interest. 

Yet, my journey hit a pause when I was diagnosed that very winter with testicular cancer. I was forced to take a leave of absence for medical treatment. However, during that time of pain, recovery, and existential reflection, I saw clearly my own Jewish journey: Jewish peoplehood. Check—Jewish geography. Check. Spirituality. Check. Music. Check. Philosophy. Check. Zionism. Check. That moment when the spotlight hits and everything else fades to black is how I would describe finding my career path. I was going to be a rabbi. And after earning a B.A. in Judaic Studies and spending a few years in Israel, I became one. Check.

In 2017, I received my rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR in Los Angeles and an M.A. in Jewish Nonprofit Management. I’ve been all over the Southwest doing what others did for me—helping people find pride and meaning in Jewish life. After ten years as a pulpit rabbi, I am looking to bring my passion and experience back to the Jewish nonprofit world in which I grew up.

You can find me in Fort Lauderdale with my wife, Wendi, our precious toddler, Reese, and our rescue golden, Millie. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. Hopefully, I’ll get to meet the person on the other end of the screen one day.

Aaron