There are rabbis... and then there’s this rabbi — the kind who leads pre-Shabbat meditations with a DJ set in the background, makes spirituality feel more like a lifestyle than a lecture and knows exactly how to make candle lighting in the Hamptons feel both sceney and sacred.
At the helm of Soul X, a modern Jewish members club with roots as old as the Torah and branding as clean as The Row, this rabbi is quietly building a movement that meets people — quite literally — where they’re at. Whether it’s on the grounds of Coachella, under string lights on the patio of a Southampton residence or next to the bar at Jac’s on Bond, he’s redefining what spiritual connection can look like for a generation that prefers wellness to dogma and open bars to open pews.
We caught up with the fluent Rabbi himself, otherwise known as @millennialrabbi, ahead of his latest Hamptons activation to talk Tu B’Av, spiritual rebrands and why the best communities combine exclusivity with access.
My guiding motto has always been to meet people where they're at. Unconventionally, I left the Synagogue to engage with this generation where their attention is, both in person and digitally. I'm by nature a very open person who enjoys interacting with people from all walks of life, and I don't believe spiritual connection needs to be relegated only to a religious place of worship, but should be integrated in one's lifestyle.
In the mid 2010s I was living in Southern California, and I saw young people flocking to Coachella for two weekends every spring. I decided to help lead a Shabbat hospitality tent on the campgrounds (again this theme of meeting people where they're at).
This led to one Friday evening in 2018, when I was praying in my backyard, in nature, and it dawned on me that if I'm a rabbi who understands all of the prayers and I still find other spaces more engaging than synagogue, many of my contemporaries might be feeling the same way. I wanted to share all of the beauty and value I've received from Judaism, to reframe the experience from an obligation to a privilege, and that our lifestyle and our spiritual heritage can be harmonized.
I find that our social communal experiences fall under one of two categories: exciting, sexy, exclusive spaces that don't feel very warm and inviting (think club), or warm and inviting but perhaps not so cool (religious space). I wanted to provide both together — where it feels like a privilege to be there, but also feels like home.
August 8th falls out on the Hebrew date of Tu B'Av, a Jewish Valentine's Day of sorts. Thousands of years ago in Israel, women would dress in white and dance in the fields and matches were made. We are reimagining this ancient holiday with a Shabbat White Party in the Hamptons to celebrate this special time together.
An open bar and mingling will be followed by a share of some of the most powerful wisdom I have learned on how to cultivate the most healthy and happy relationships, closing in a sound journey. This will lead into a Shabbat candle lighting ceremony for women. We will then have a garden Shabbat dinner under the stars and hear from other special guest speakers, with an after party going deep into the night.
We've already hosted two Shabbat dinners in the Hamptons this summer, one at a community member's in Southampton for 100+ young professionals that was really beautiful, and another on the beach at Surf Lodge through our 36k Shabbat partnership. I have to say that guiding a moment of meditation while the DJ Mita Gami led a rager in the background felt like a culmination of everything I'm trying to do at the intersection of ancient spirituality and modern culture. There are many more beautiful events to come, primarily in downtown Manhattan, Miami in the fall, and more.
We generally host outdoors, and the two primary requirements are a beautiful spacious garden and gracious hosts that I don't have to tiptoe around. As much as the deeper spirituality and intention matter to me, the aesthetic matters too.
I would say kind, interesting, respectful, ambitious young adults in their 20s and 30s.
Countless. While I initially intended to make romantic connections the focus, I'm grateful for all of the incredible friendships resulted from our events. I'm constantly seeing attendees posting on Instagram their outings with their new friends. Business deals have resulted as one, some major, and I would like to institute a 10% donation fee to our non-profit moving forward ;)