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 Justus Baird

Rabbi Justus Baird has more than twenty years of interfaith experience in local, national and international interfaith work, especially Christian/Jewish, Muslim/Jewish, Black/Jewish, and peacebuilding work. He has worked with a wide variety of interfaith couples as they prepare for marriage. 

For over a decade, Rabbi Baird was dean of Auburn Seminary in NYC and then served for six years as senior vice president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America (a Jewish think tank based in the US and Israel). He has led educational programs for rabbis, ministers, Muslim leaders, African American leaders, organizers, and teens. He cofounded Sources: A Journal of Jewish Thought and his writing has appeared in variety of academic and trade media including The Hill, Religion News Service, Journal of Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, and Theology Today. He is currently writing a young adult biblical fiction novel. Rabbi Baird grew up in Texas and lives in Montclair, NJ with his wife (Rabbi Julie Roth) and three teenage kids. He is an active gardener, rower, and swimmer.