Our Leadership

Rabbi Patrick is a retired rock musician who became a Jewish educator and rabbi. His passion is Jewish life focused on interfaith families, spiritual seekers and people who don't think of themselves as "synagogue people". He has been featured in CNN, CBS News, Richmond Times-Dispatch and Chesterfield Observer. He loves going to Virginia's many state parks and coffee shops with the love of his life, Rebbetzin Stefanie, and their adult son Javon.

Rebbetzin Stefanie is a policy wonk by day and a Jewish leader by night. She has developed innovative adult Jewish programming in Richmond and Atlanta, GA, and is passionate about people "doing Judaism their way". She spends her time playing kirtan music on her harmonium, hanging out with Rabbi Patrick and is an avid home chef who makes challah the size of Thanksgiving turkeys. She wants to reclaim the title "rebbetzin" for progressive Jews like her.

Edva (she/her) is a Persian-Polish-Syrian-Ukrainian-Israeli-American social worker, cat mom, and lover of obscure Jewish factoids (Why do trees have birthdays? What do sea monsters have to do with the names of planets?). She believes there is no wrong way to be Jewish and focuses on inclusion and equity in her teaching. Edva especially enjoys working with students from interfaith families. She is obsessed with Jewish cuisine from around the world - if you come over for dinner, you’re as likely to have Eastern European stew as you are to have Goan-style curry. In her spare time Edva gardens, knits, and annoys her husband by telling him (again) why the Koufax Curse is a totally real thing in baseball.