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, b-mitzvah programs, multi-faith community initiatives, and international Jewish trips.
IN SPIRITUAL AND NONPROFIT LIFE
Rabbi David is a nationally recognized 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, multiple Hillel chapters, CLAL: National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership and OHALAH (clergy association for Jewish Renewal). He recently completed the Ore'ach Fellowship for Spiritual Arts Innovation, and joins the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's executive clergy leadership cohort for 2025-26.
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, b-mitzvah programs, multi-faith community initiatives, and international Jewish trips.
IN SPIRITUAL AND NONPROFIT LIFE
Rabbi David is a nationally recognized 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, multiple Hillel chapters, CLAL: National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership and OHALAH (clergy association for Jewish Renewal). He recently completed the Ore'ach Fellowship for Spiritual Arts Innovation, and joins the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's executive clergy leadership cohort for 2025-26.
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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 Press 2019), a volume for individual and communal journeys of grief and reintegration. Rabbi David continues his innovation leadership as senior builder and rabbinic 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, the umbrella organization for Jewish Renewal.
Rabbi David 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 (former Rector, Hebrew College), Rabbi Jeff Fox (Dean, Yeshivat Maharat), and Dr. Erica Brown (Yeshiva University).
Rabbi David 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 (former Rector, Hebrew College), Rabbi Jeff Fox (Dean, Yeshivat Maharat), and Dr. Erica Brown (Yeshiva University).
Rabbi David is a member of the Association of Rabbis and Cantors, New York Board of Rabbis, Westchester Board of Rabbis, Board of the JCC/Federation of Greenwich, and a past member of the Town of Greenwich Antisemitism Task Force.
Rabbi David earned rabbinical ordination after six years of study with ALEPH plus study in Jerusalem. He 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. On behalf of New York's Ninth Judicial District, David presides as judicial referee in Supreme Court focusing on the civil docket. He also has served as interim special counsel for access to justice to redress economic, geographic and cultural barriers to equal justice.
In Bar service, David is elected to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates. David also is elected to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Westchester County Bar Association, additionally serving as chair of its Committee on Ethics & Professionalism, and chair of its Special Committee on the Future of the Bar. David is a member of numerous access to justice initiatives, as well as 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. David is a frequent writer on legal ethics and professionalism, and teacher in continuing legal education programs on substantive law, ethics and wellness.
David’s prior public-facing roles include Statewide Special Counsel for Programs and Policy for 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 associate to environmental organization Hudson Riverkeeper. David also has served as faculty in graduate public administration at Pace University, and political science and public policy at Fordham University and Pace.
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, for which he occasionally apologizes.
Rabbi David earned rabbinical ordination after six years of study with ALEPH plus study in Jerusalem. He 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. On behalf of New York's Ninth Judicial District, David presides as judicial referee in Supreme Court focusing on the civil docket. He also has served as interim special counsel for access to justice to redress economic, geographic and cultural barriers to equal justice.
In Bar service, David is elected to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates. David also is elected to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Westchester County Bar Association, additionally serving as chair of its Committee on Ethics & Professionalism, and chair of its Special Committee on the Future of the Bar. David is a member of numerous access to justice initiatives, as well as 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. David is a frequent writer on legal ethics and professionalism, and teacher in continuing legal education programs on substantive law, ethics and wellness.
David’s prior public-facing roles include Statewide Special Counsel for Programs and Policy for 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 associate to environmental organization Hudson Riverkeeper. David also has served as faculty in graduate public administration at Pace University, and political science and public policy at Fordham University and Pace.
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, for which he occasionally apologizes.