Clergy

Sharon Brous

Senior/Founding Rabbi

Sharon Brous had no interest in becoming a rabbi until a rooftop summer storm and a Friday night experience at B’nai Jeshurun in New York City convinced her of the wonder of life and the infinite riches of the Jewish tradition.  As a rabbi she found herself more drawn to those disaffected from Jewish life than those invested, wondering what it would take to make Jewish learning, ritual and life compelling and meaningful for those marginalized by and disinterested in conventional religious life.  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 Daz 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 is a regular 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/Music 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.

Click here to hear more about music at IKAR.

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.

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 grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, attended Rutgers University, worked in retail, and taught at a Solomon Schechter Day School. She left all that behind to come to the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and just spent a year at The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.  In her free time, Ronit enjoys singing, studying, and teaching.