Embark is all about exploring Jewish life in interfaith relationships – without the pressure to convert. Connect with other couples in their 20s and 30s and an Embark rabbi as you learn, share, and grow together in a supportive space. Whether you’re curious about tradition or building your own, discover a Jewish life that’s uniquely yours. Embark cohorts consist of 6-10 couples that meet weekly for 6 cohort sessions, a retreat, and a Shabbat dinner.

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Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut

Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut is our Base Rabbi for NYC. Born in Leningrad, USSR, Dimitry immigrated with his family at the age of five to Philadelphia, PA. He is an educator, musician, and builder of Jewish community.

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. 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. Dimitry directs Based in Harlem, a pluralistic, home-based, rabbi-led Jewish community through which he has welcomed over 3,000 unique individuals to his home for shabbat, holiday celebrations, learning, and service opportunities. He is also a co-founder of Kehillat Harlem, a progressive orthodox synagogue and prayer community in Upper Manhattan, and serves as an adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at City College of New York.

Dimitry holds a Bachelor’s of Music (Jazz Performance) degree and a Master’s of Music Education, both from New York University. He received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT). He lives in Harlem with his wife, Erica, and their two daughters, Maayan and Dalia.