Rabbi Alex Kress (he/his) began serving Beth Shir Shalom in 2021. His vision for Jewish community centers on the pursuit of justice, inclusion, and good synagogue coffee. He works to incorporate avant-garde ideas that revitalize spirituality and community. With projects like Hip Hop High Holidays & Rav’s Turntables, he attempts to bridge ancient wisdom with contemporary culture to make our tradition relevant and accessible.
Rabbi Alex grew up in an interfaith family in Philadelphia, a product of URJ Camp Harlam and NFTY PAR. After graduating from Temple University with a degree in Jewish Studies, he was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. He sits on the Clergy Council of the Jewish Center for Justice and was honored to be a contributor to the URJ’s Ten Minutes of Torah. He was an Charles Bronfman Convener with the Israel Policy Forum, a NewGround Change-Maker Fellow, and a Resetting the Table Convener.
He loves good coffee, shabbos ball, and reading an actual, physical newspaper. On his way to Beth Shir Shalom, Rabbi Alex served Temple Sinai of Roslyn and Hillel at UCLA.