David Elitzer, Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern

David Elitzer (he/him) is a fifth-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College. He is also a bilingual (English/Spanish), board-eligible hospital chaplain with specialized experience in pediatrics and psychiatry. Before rabbinical school, he was a war crimes researcher focused on cultural heritage destruction and its connection to other atrocities.

David loves making the familiar unexpected and the unfamiliar approachable, whether teaching about the Babylonian context of the Tower of Babel or the alternate realities of early Jewish mysticism. David has sought to bridge Torah and activism ever since attending the Jews Against ICE Tisha B’Av Action co-organized by CBST in 2019, which played a major role in his decision to apply to rabbinical school. When not working, David is an avid bread baker and urban gardener, and he is an aspiring bonsai enthusiast. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Rhea, and dachshund, Earl Grey.