Email Rabbi David at RabbiBPD@kenesethisrael.org.
Rabbi Benjamin P. David was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Cherry Hill, NJ. He is the son of Rabbi Jerome and Peggy David. He attended Cherry Hill High School East and Muhlenberg College, where he majored in English Literature. In 1999, he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 2004, he was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. While in rabbinic school, he served numerous congregations, including Kol Hanishama of Jerusalem, Temple Beth Am of Monessen, PA and Temple Shaaray Tefila of Manhattan. He also served as an intern at the Jewish Guild for the Blind and the Makor Steinhardt Center. He received numerous awards in the field of Talmud and Hebrew Literature and was the co-founder of Davar Aher, a student review. From 2005-2012, he served as assistant and associate rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn, working closely with youth and teens, overseeing the Hebrew High School program, officiating at lifecycle events, teaching broadly, and helping to further develop the congregation’s social action, community organizing, and interfaith programs. Prior to joining KI, Rabbi David served as senior Rabbi of congregation Adath Emanu-El in Mount Laurel, New Jersey from 2012-2022.
A competitive distance runner, he has completed 20 marathons including the Boston Marathon twice and the NYC Marathon four times. He is a co-founder of the Running Rabbis, a social justice initiative that works with clergy worldwide to run and walk in the name of worthy causes.
Rabbi David is a past President of the Tri-County Board of Rabbis, serving New Jersey's Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties.
He is married to Lisa David, the Director of Camp Harlam. They also met at Camp Harlam, where they both spent time as campers, counselors, and supervisors. They have three children: Noa, Elijah, and Samuel.