Clergy

Sharon Brous

Founding Rabbi

Sharon Brous had no interest in becoming a rabbi until a bewildering weekend in the Old City of Jerusalem where she was given the answers to all of life's questions.  She quickly realized the answers were facile and unconvincing, but knew that the questions were the ones she wanted to spend her life grappling with. 

As a rabbi she found herself drawn not only to those invested in finding meaning in Jewish life, but also to those deeply disaffected, and she began working to make Jewish learning, ritual and community compelling and meaningful even for those alienated by conventional religion.  In 2004 Brous met Melissa Balaban and a handful of Jews searching for a different kind of Jewish experience, and, realizing they shared a passion for social justice, meaningful Jewish engagement and Haagan Dazs ice cream, they created IKAR - now one of the fastest growing Jewish communities in the country. 

Brous was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2001 and received a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from Columbia University, where she also received her Bachelor’s Degree.  After ordination, she served as a Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in NYC.

Since starting IKAR, she has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading rabbis by Newsweek, and as one of the Forward’s 50 most influential American Jews.  She was a contributor to Newsweek and The Washington Post’s “On Faith” column, and was a guest on Krista Tippet’s “Speaking of Faith” on NPR.  She sits on the faculty of Wexner Heritage and REBOOT, and on the board of Rabbis for Human Rights.  She is also a rabbinic advisor to American Jewish World Service, the Progressive Jewish Alliance and the Task Force to Advance Multireligious Collaboration on Global Poverty.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, David, and three children – Eva, Sami and Levi.

Hillel Tigay

Hazan/Musical Director

Hillel majored in musicology, and specialized in composition, classical guitar, the renaissance lute and pop music.  He went on to co-found the Jewish rap band MOT.  The son of a rabbinical scholar, Hillel has spent his life expressing his love of yiddishkeit.  He spent several years living in Israel, has cantored during High Holy Days since his high school years, and has been the bar mitzvah tutor at Beth Am in Los Angeles since 1991.  In addition to leading IKAR services, he spends his time writing his own Jewish music and posing as an international male tweed model.

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal 

Director of Children and Family Education

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal is a born and bred New Yorker, and her passion for Judaism, Jewish education and social justice was formed at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and Camp Ramah. Prior to coming to IKAR, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Education at Congregation B'nai Zion in El Paso, TX and the Shabbat and Holidays Coordinator for the Youth and Family department at B'nai Jeshurun.  Rabbi Rosenthal and her family are excited to be part of a Jewish community that speaks to their hearts and their social conscience.

Click here to learn more about IKAR's educational programs for children and families.

Rabbi Adam Greenwald

Revson Rabbinic Fellow

A life-long Angeleno, Rabbi Greenwald was ordained in May 2011 and has served as Rabbinic Intern at Congregation B'nai Israel in Tustin, where he focused on creating engaging learning experiences for adults, youth, and conversion students.  He also spent four summers with the PANIM Institute, inspiring teens to become change agents in their communities.  His passion for integrating social justice and Jewish practice has led him to destinations as diverse as Ghana, Honduras, Washington DC, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Navajo Nation.

Ronit Tsadok

Rabbinic Intern

Ronit has been a part of the IKAR community throughout her years at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies where she will be ordained as a rabbi in May 2012.

Her road to the rabbinate included fundraising at Rutgers University, retail at Target, and teaching at Solomon Schechter Day School in New Jersey. Ultimately, she was inspired to become a rabbi and share her love of Torah and tradition with the masses.

In her free time, Ronit enjoys learning Talmud (yes, really), soaking up the LA sun, and watching trashy television dramas.

Ronit is thrilled to be continuing her work within the community she so loves in her new position as Rabbinic Fellow.