We are thrilled to announce that Rabbi Dave Yedid, a Senior Base rabbi and leader of the Base Denver community, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Pomegranate Prize in Jewish Education from the Covenant Foundation! The Pomegranate Prize honors emerging leaders in the field of Jewish education. Over the course of the three-year cohort, Rabbi Dave and his fellow recipients will have the opportunity to access valuable resources, enjoy development opportunities, and connect with Jewish thought leaders to help them grow their impact as Jewish educators and community leaders. 

Rabbi Dave founded Base Denver in 2022, alongside his husband Daniel. Together, they lead programs out of their home, from home-cooked Shabbat dinners, to scenic hikes through the Colorado mountains, and even klezmer music concerts. In these warm, welcoming spaces, Jewish young adults in their twenties and thirties gather to explore Jewish life, learning, and traditions. Alongside his Base community, Rabbi Dave also leads Denver’s Embark cohorts, where interfaith couples come together to learn about Jewish life and traditions without the pressure to convert.

Rabbi Dave graduated from Middlebury College and holds an MA in Gender Studies. He finds a deep spirituality in nature, making Denver a natural fit: in fact, he was inspired to become a rabbi while leading youth backpacking trips for Camp Ramah in the Rockies. After receiving his rabbinic ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary, he joined the Base team and has loved building Jewish community in a place that is so connected to the natural world. 

“I’m thankful to Mem Global for bringing these amazing programs under one umbrella and letting them each shine,” said Rabbi Dave. “Embark gave me so much trust and empowered me to experiment and deepen my work with couples cohorts. I have immense gratitude to the entire Base Chevreh for their innovation, energy, and commitment to the people we serve; this prize is for all of us.” 

Rabbi Adam Gindea, the Vice President of Base and Rabbinic Innovation, said, “Rabbi Dave brings a special balance of gentle compassion and enthusiastic excitement to his work. As the founding rabbi of Base Denver, Rabbi Dave has deeply furthered Base’s holy work of making Judaism meaningful and relevant for all across the Jewish world. His ability to hold nuance and complexity while creating safe and welcoming spaces, share his unique and powerful Torah, and build and model pluralistic Jewish life is well deserving of the prestigious Pomegranate Prize. Rabbi Dave will be a tremendous addition to the remarkable talent convened and supported by the Covenant Foundation.”

Rabbi Dave received the Pomegranate Prize on September 17 at a ceremony in New York, alongside the other nine members of the 2025 cohort. You can read more about the ceremony and the Pomegranate Prize on the Covenant Foundation’s website, here.

Mazl tov, Rabbi Dave!