Rabbi Eric

Rabbi Eric has spent decades helping people find meaning, connection, and a sense of belonging in Jewish life. His approach to spiritual leadership is rooted in a simple conviction: every person is created in the image of God and deserves to be treated with love, integrity, compassion, and dignity.

That philosophy shaped his leadership of Kehillah Chen v’Chesed—KCVC—an inclusive Jewish community established in 2011 for people seeking warmth, tradition, life-cycle support, and community without many of the barriers they had experienced elsewhere. KCVC became known as a “Community of Grace and Kindness,” welcoming people from Jewish, interfaith, and varied spiritual backgrounds and emphasizing that there can be more than one pathway to the Divine.

A 2019 Jewish Journal profile captured the spirit of Rabbi Eric’s leadership and KCVC’s mission. The article described his long background in Jewish education and quoted Cantor Kenny Ellis, who said people were drawn to hear Rabbi Eric because he was inspirational and spoke with people rather than talking down to them. Rabbi Eric’s own words in that profile emphasized respect for each person’s beliefs and background, peaceful teachings, and tikkun olam—the responsibility to help repair the world.

Throughout his ministry, Rabbi Eric has sought to make Jewish life accessible to people who might otherwise feel left outside. KCVC welcomed families regardless of financial circumstances, supported meaningful life-cycle events, served seniors, and worked to accommodate people with disabilities. The community also placed a strong emphasis on social justice, tzedakah, education, and acts of compassion.

In more recent years, Rabbi Eric’s own life changed profoundly when he lost his vision and became physically disabled. Those changes did not end his calling. They deepened it.

Living with blindness and disability has given Rabbi Eric an even more personal understanding of vulnerability, resilience, dependence, dignity, and the importance of belonging. He knows firsthand what it means to encounter barriers and to need a community that sees the person before the limitation.

Out of that next chapter came Adat Tikvah, an online community rooted in inclusion, accessibility, spiritual connection, and hope.

Today, Rabbi Eric continues to teach, counsel, lead worship, officiate life-cycle events, and build community through Adat Tikvah. His experience has strengthened his belief that accessibility should never be an afterthought and that spiritual community is strongest when every person can participate fully and bring their whole self.

Adat Tikvah represents the next chapter of that calling: a community of hope where tradition and compassion meet, where barriers are lowered, and where people can find connection, meaning, and a genuine sense of belonging. Rabbi Eric’s hope is that everyone who enters this community will know one simple truth: there is a place for you here.