About Rabbi David
Rabbi David Evan Markus embodies joyful Jewish passion in many forms – traditional and innovative liturgy, classical and modern music, spiritual poetry and mentorship, mystical practice, uplifting study and heart-centered humor – to breathe new energy into Jewish life for today and tomorrow.
Honored among the “36 to Watch in Jewish Life” (2022) and New York's Power 100 (2023), Rabbi David is North America’s only pulpit rabbi simultaneously serving full-time in government. Rabbi David’s unique double leadership honors and uplifts the spiritual and secular on terms fully authentic to each.
Rabbi David comes to Shir Ami after 13 years serving Temple Beth-El of City Island (New York City, NY), where he anchored the shul band, innovative adult education and b-mitzvah programs, multi-faith community initiatives, and international Jewish trips.
IN SPIRITUAL LIFE
Rabbi David is a dynamic prayer leader, teacher and catalyst for inner transformation. He teaches in the rabbinic and cantorial programs of the Academy for Jewish Religion (New York’s pluralist accredited seminary), and previously served on the ALEPH rabbinics and spiritual direction faculties. A Rabbis Without Borders fellow, Rabbi David is a sought-after lifecycle officiant, Shabbaton anchor, and scholar in residence for communities and conventions across North America. Rabbi David has been a lead presenter at Yeshivat Maharat, Isabella Freedman, Limmud New York, Limmud Toronto, Routes DC, Pride Ottawa, Hillel, CLAL: National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership and OHALAH (trans-denominational clergy association for Jewish Renewal). He recently completed the Oreach Fellowship for Spiritual Arts Innovation.
Honored among the “36 to Watch in Jewish Life” (2022) and New York's Power 100 (2023), Rabbi David is North America’s only pulpit rabbi simultaneously serving full-time in government. Rabbi David’s unique double leadership honors and uplifts the spiritual and secular on terms fully authentic to each.
Rabbi David comes to Shir Ami after 13 years serving Temple Beth-El of City Island (New York City, NY), where he anchored the shul band, innovative adult education and b-mitzvah programs, multi-faith community initiatives, and international Jewish trips.
IN SPIRITUAL LIFE
Rabbi David is a dynamic prayer leader, teacher and catalyst for inner transformation. He teaches in the rabbinic and cantorial programs of the Academy for Jewish Religion (New York’s pluralist accredited seminary), and previously served on the ALEPH rabbinics and spiritual direction faculties. A Rabbis Without Borders fellow, Rabbi David is a sought-after lifecycle officiant, Shabbaton anchor, and scholar in residence for communities and conventions across North America. Rabbi David has been a lead presenter at Yeshivat Maharat, Isabella Freedman, Limmud New York, Limmud Toronto, Routes DC, Pride Ottawa, Hillel, CLAL: National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership and OHALAH (trans-denominational clergy association for Jewish Renewal). He recently completed the Oreach Fellowship for Spiritual Arts Innovation.
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An accomplished vocalist, pianist and composer, Rabbi David creates and remixes traditional Jewish materials with congregational favorites and heart-opening original settings. He also is a prolific writer: Rabbi David has published widely in platforms including The Forward, The Wisdom Daily, My Jewish Learning, prayerbooks and online contexts. Rabbi David's first book, A Year of Building Torah (Bayit Press 2023), harvests Torah's spiritual wisdom for enduring lessons about community building and social justice leadership. With Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, he co-edited Beside Still Waters (Ben Yehuda 2019), a volume for individual and communal journeys of grief and reintegration. Rabbi David continues his innovation leadership as senior builder and past board chair for the nonprofit Bayit: Building Jewish, a trans-denominational Jewish creativity incubator.
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Rabbi David maintains an active spiritual direction practice for seekers of all traditions and backgrounds, including clergy. With his unique grounding in governance and spiritual leadership, Rabbi David also serves as congregational and board consultant for communities within and beyond denominational life. He was honored, also with Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, to serve as co-chair of ALEPH, umbrella organization for Jewish Renewal.
He is blessed to count among his teachers extraordinary souls across and beyond the Jewish denominations, including Rabbi Dr. Shohama Wiener (President Emerita, Academy for Jewish Religion), Rabbi Dr. Art Green (Rector, Hebrew College), Rabbi Jeff Fox (Dean, Yeshivat Maharat), and Dr. Erica Brown (Yeshiva University).
He is blessed to count among his teachers extraordinary souls across and beyond the Jewish denominations, including Rabbi Dr. Shohama Wiener (President Emerita, Academy for Jewish Religion), Rabbi Dr. Art Green (Rector, Hebrew College), Rabbi Jeff Fox (Dean, Yeshivat Maharat), and Dr. Erica Brown (Yeshiva University).
Rabbi David earned rabbinical ordination after six years of study with ALEPH and a summer term in Jerusalem. Rabbi David earned a second ordination as mashpia (spiritual director), also from ALEPH, and a graduate certificate in spiritual entrepreneurship from the Masters in Business Administration program at Columbia Business School.
IN SECULAR LIFE
David is a multiple award-winning public servant for the people of New York. He presides as judicial referee in New York Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District. He is a member of numerous access to justice initiatives, and the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on the Constitution and Committee on Lawyer Assistance, and is passionately committed to equity and wellness throughout the justice system. He chairs the Westchester County Bar Association Ethics Committee, and is a frequent teacher in continuing legal education programs on substantive law, ethics and wellness.
David’s past public-facing roles include Special Counsel under New York Chief Judges Judith Kaye and Jonathan Lippman, Special Counsel to the New York Senate Majority, Deputy Director of Voter Protection for a winning presidential campaign, senior law secretary with the New York Court of Appeals, legislative director with the New York Assembly, and policy aide to Hudson Riverkeeper and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. David also has served as faculty in graduate public administration at Pace University, and undergraduate political science and public policy at Fordham and Pace Universities.
David earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Harvard Law School; Masters in Public Policy (as Wilmers Fellow for State and Local Government) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, which named David as Harvard's first global Innovator in Public Service while still a student; and Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Williams College.
David lives in nearby Westchester County, New York, and is an avid Yankees fan.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
Rabbi David already has nourished deep regional connections. He completed his Clinical Pastoral Education program with Stamford Hospital (2014-15), and taught adult education programs at Stamford's Temple Beth El. Pam Ehrenkranz, the CEO of UJA-JCC Greenwich, took one of Rabbi David's Academy for Jewish Religion seminary courses, and shared the following:
“I know from experience that Rabbi Markus is a talented teacher and an innovative Jewish thinker. I am quite sure that he will bring both intellectual and joyful insights into Judaism as part of his leadership. Rabbi Markus introduced me to a world of texts I might otherwise not have seen, including those of The Eish Kodesh, whose writings have ‘transformed’ my own way of experiencing my Judaism.”
After an extensive clergy search, in March 2023 Shir Ami selected Rabbi David as its next rabbi and spiritual leader, effective July 1. On behalf of the Congregation, Co-Presidents Jackie Marschall (Old Greenwich CT) and Marie Orsini Rosen (Stamford CT) issued this announcement:
“Congregation Shir Ami has been going strong for over 20 years, and that strength comes from the partnership between its spiritual and lay leadership. The world around us is turbulent, and our faith grounds us. But after talking even for a few minutes with Rabbi David, we are reminded that our faith also uplifts us. We look forward to where Rabbi David's accomplishments and talents – Torah scholar, experienced congregational, Jewish, and interfaith leader, spiritual counselor, published author, secular judge, and skilled vocal and instrumental musician – will take us as we explore what is meaningful in our lives."
Shir Ami is a warm and welcoming Jewish Congregation with Torah at the center, embracing our heritage while creating new ways to bring us closer to each other – and closer to God – through acts of worship, caring, learning, giving, singing and celebrating together.
IN SECULAR LIFE
David is a multiple award-winning public servant for the people of New York. He presides as judicial referee in New York Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District. He is a member of numerous access to justice initiatives, and the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on the Constitution and Committee on Lawyer Assistance, and is passionately committed to equity and wellness throughout the justice system. He chairs the Westchester County Bar Association Ethics Committee, and is a frequent teacher in continuing legal education programs on substantive law, ethics and wellness.
David’s past public-facing roles include Special Counsel under New York Chief Judges Judith Kaye and Jonathan Lippman, Special Counsel to the New York Senate Majority, Deputy Director of Voter Protection for a winning presidential campaign, senior law secretary with the New York Court of Appeals, legislative director with the New York Assembly, and policy aide to Hudson Riverkeeper and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. David also has served as faculty in graduate public administration at Pace University, and undergraduate political science and public policy at Fordham and Pace Universities.
David earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Harvard Law School; Masters in Public Policy (as Wilmers Fellow for State and Local Government) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, which named David as Harvard's first global Innovator in Public Service while still a student; and Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Williams College.
David lives in nearby Westchester County, New York, and is an avid Yankees fan.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
Rabbi David already has nourished deep regional connections. He completed his Clinical Pastoral Education program with Stamford Hospital (2014-15), and taught adult education programs at Stamford's Temple Beth El. Pam Ehrenkranz, the CEO of UJA-JCC Greenwich, took one of Rabbi David's Academy for Jewish Religion seminary courses, and shared the following:
“I know from experience that Rabbi Markus is a talented teacher and an innovative Jewish thinker. I am quite sure that he will bring both intellectual and joyful insights into Judaism as part of his leadership. Rabbi Markus introduced me to a world of texts I might otherwise not have seen, including those of The Eish Kodesh, whose writings have ‘transformed’ my own way of experiencing my Judaism.”
After an extensive clergy search, in March 2023 Shir Ami selected Rabbi David as its next rabbi and spiritual leader, effective July 1. On behalf of the Congregation, Co-Presidents Jackie Marschall (Old Greenwich CT) and Marie Orsini Rosen (Stamford CT) issued this announcement:
“Congregation Shir Ami has been going strong for over 20 years, and that strength comes from the partnership between its spiritual and lay leadership. The world around us is turbulent, and our faith grounds us. But after talking even for a few minutes with Rabbi David, we are reminded that our faith also uplifts us. We look forward to where Rabbi David's accomplishments and talents – Torah scholar, experienced congregational, Jewish, and interfaith leader, spiritual counselor, published author, secular judge, and skilled vocal and instrumental musician – will take us as we explore what is meaningful in our lives."
Shir Ami is a warm and welcoming Jewish Congregation with Torah at the center, embracing our heritage while creating new ways to bring us closer to each other – and closer to God – through acts of worship, caring, learning, giving, singing and celebrating together.