Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut

A rabbinic entrepreneur, educator, musician, and builder of Jewish community, Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut has been at the forefront of cultivating innovative yet traditionally-rooted urban Jewish life for over a decade.

Born in Leningrad, USSR, Dimitry immigrated with his family at the age of five to Philadelphia, PA. While in middle and high school, he fell in love with the guitar, motivating him to move to New York and pursue a career as a professional musician. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music (Jazz Performance) degree and a Master’s of Music Education, both from New York University. Dimitry has had an active career teaching music in public, private, and charter schools throughout New York City.

Since 2016, Dimitry has worked to build Jewish community in Harlem and upper Manhattan. From 2016-2026, Dimitry directed Base Harlem, welcoming thousands of young adults in their twenties and thirties to his home for shabbat, holiday celebrations, learning, and service opportunities. Beyond Base, he has co-founded several uptown Jewish communities, notably Kehillat Harlem in 2017 and most recently Tzibur Harlem in 2024, where Dimitry serves as spiritual leader. Dimitry also teaches as an adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at City College of New York, and is a sought-out speaker and educator within the Russian-speaking Jewish community. In July 2026, Rabbi Dimitry and his wife Erica Frankel began their tenure as the full-time rabbinic couple of Base Manhattan, alongside their two daughters, Maayan and Dalia. Dimitry received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT).