Earlier this fall, I was incredibly honored to take on the role of Vice President of Base and Rabbinic Innovation at Mem Global. This opportunity is far more than a new position – it’s a homecoming, and a chance for me to give back to a movement that has given me more than I can possibly express.  

I founded and led Base Miami from 2017 through 2023, and the experience was a remarkable gift. It was through running Base Miami that I was encouraged to explore my own understanding of Jewish life and practice, not as a representative of an institution, but as a Jew living in modernity, honestly and authentically wrestling with what it means to be a part of this remarkable tradition. Base is a movement of pluralistic rabbis pondering the questions: What can it mean to be a Jew and a rabbi today? What do Jewish people need from rabbis, and, in turn, what is our rabbinic responsibility to the Jewish tradition? How can we best own a rabbinic voice while continuing our personal and religious growth? How can we channel our unending drive to seek in a way that is useful for others? 

Since childhood, I have always felt a deep calling towards some force greater than myself – call it God, Hashem, the Universe, Infinite, Source, or any other word you would use to describe this remarkable gift of life and the vastness of all that is. Although I felt tremendous gratitude to be alive and longed to have a relationship with whatever allows this all to be, I struggled to find a connection that spoke to the depths of my soul. In my modern Orthodox upbringing, I found that many of the rituals and practices seemed to be performed by rote and driven by obligation, rather than appreciation. I searched for something to address my longing, and while I explored other religions and practices along the way, I was committed to searching within the tradition of my ancestors. I decided to dedicate my life to this journey, and the rabbinate seemed like the best path to continue my search. 

Historically and today, the role of a Rabbi is multi-faceted and layered. Rabbis are repositories of information with access to texts and traditions, religious and spiritual leaders, guides and ritualists, and supporters in times of need. Rabbis are tasked with leading their communities and teaching them how to live a life of meaning in accordance with the traditions of the Jewish people and the Torah. In recent history, denominations have provided general groupings of shared guidelines and worldviews, building institutions that reflect those commonalities. The North American Jewish landscape has relied on Rabbis to be responsible in shaping and maintaining those institutional and communal boundaries tethered to their denominational affiliations.

But what happens to Judaism, Jews, and the role of a rabbi when the majority of North American Jews don’t fit into those boxes as comfortably as previous generations?  

Much of the Jewish world continues to resonate with, and benefit from, a leadership model which lifts up the Rabbi as an authority figure who disseminates knowledge and shapes the lives and practices of a community. Yet we are also undergoing a major paradigm shift that provides opportunities for additional, modified models of rabbinic leadership – ones that lead from alongside and within, rather than from above. When I served as a Base rabbi, I was able to experiment with this model for my community and had the privilege of connecting with thousands of people to share my own wrestling with Jewish life, practice, and texts and learn from theirs.  

When my wife Jessie and I launched Base Miami, we had lengthy conversations about what we wanted our Base to be. One of the remarkable opportunities the Base model provides is an invitation for an authentic expression of a unique rabbinate. Jessie and I decided early on that we would forge deep and meaningful relationships with the synagogues and Jewish institutions in the area so that we could best direct those who found themselves around our table to the services, gatherings, and resources available across the breadth of our Jewish community. This allowed us to support those institutions while embracing the diversity of Jewish life.  

At the same time, we established our home as a central meeting place for Jewish learning and life. Welcoming people into our home was not just a logistical innovation, but a manifestation of our approach. Our home is where we wrestle, argue, and build our own personal practice and approach to Judaism and Jewish life. By establishing our home as a grounding place to explore Jewish text, traditions, practices, and community, we invited our “Basers” into those intimate and personal conversations, navigating what it means to be a part of this amazing Jewish collective and diving into the work, together. 

Those conversations not only provided the opportunity to hone, articulate, and share my own spiritual journey, but to ask others about theirs, broadening and deepening my understanding of life, the world, and the soul using the unique language Judaism offers. Delving into the language of Torah to guide us along the way allowed us to see ourselves mirrored in the ancient texts and stories of our people, bringing us all closer to our heritage. 

I approached this work from a place of deep humility, not as a Rabbi with all the answers, but as someone who holds the title, experience, and training of a rabbi, while still seeking as Adam. My background and training give me access to a vast tradition – a utility belt full of teachings and wisdom I have and continue to collect throughout my journey. By being a companion, navigating this world alongside the Basers who I have been blessed to know, I was able to share what I had learned, not as an authority mandating a particular belief or practice, but as a fellow traveler, one familiar with the terrain, who could offer language, perspective, and understanding to help deepen our connection to this ancient, beautiful tradition that has been passed down through generations. 

Base is an unbelievable platform, incubator, movement, and opportunity of a lifetime for rabbis to invite people into their inner worlds, journey alongside others, and forge a rabbinate that speaks most deeply to their own souls. With deep gratitude to the Holy One, I am so proud to be returning to Base helping it continue to grow. I’m honored to be reunited with this remarkable rabbinic collective wrestling with and exploring these questions crucial for the future of the Jewish people. It is through the honest and authentic exploration of our own Jewish lives today that we can forge a Judaism that bridges and unifies the past and the future, offering a model of meaningful and vibrant Jewish life for generations to come.