For 10 years, Rabbi Matthew Bellas wrote the script and song lyrics for the annual Chanukah musical he started at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, where he was the Lower School principal.
He knew each of the 380 students’ names, which helped when he personally presented students with certificates for being a mensch — a good person. According to those who knew him, Bellas embodied what it meant to be a mensch, going above and beyond in his professional and community roles.
The Olney resident passed away on Dec. 30, 2024, at the age of 49 after health complications.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Bellas attended high school at St. George’s School, making history as the first student to openly wear a kippah. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary and was ordained as a Conservative rabbi, returning to Vancouver in 2008 to serve as the school rabbi and Jewish studies teacher at Vancouver Talmud Torah. Bellas, his wife, Oksana, and their three children moved to Olney in 2014.
Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, the head of school at CESJDS, had attended JTS at the same time as Bellas before hiring him to serve as the Lower School principal, a role he began in August 2014. Bellas served the CESJDS community for the remainder of his life.
“We worked closely together that entire time,” Malkus said. “It was a real pleasure. He and I shared a vision for the Lower School. We shared the same values in terms of educational and Jewish values, and so I felt like I had a great partner in leading our Lower School division.”
“He was a charismatic, immensely talented Jewish educator who cared deeply for his students, teachers, and the entire CESJDS community,” Rabbi Adam Raskin of Congregation Har Shalom wrote in a Dec. 30 Facebook post. “He always possessed a unique kindness and sincerity, and he was so infused with a love of Torah and the Jewish people.”
Bellas was beloved by the students, who ranged in age from preschool to fifth grade. Although he was unable to attend CESJDS’ 2024 Chanukah musical, as he was on medical leave, the students created a parody of Bellas complete with his signature sweater vest, Raskin wrote, a symbol of their appreciation for him.
“I think that if there was one thing that allowed our school to thrive under his leadership, it was that he led with kindness; he treated every single student with kindness and he knew every student’s name,” Malkus recalled. “He made sure every student was seen and heard at school and I think that’s what allowed the students to thrive.”
After receiving the news of Bellas’ passing, the CESJDS Lower School students shared memories of him, including his daily reading of the morning announcements. Every day since Oct. 7, 2023, Bellas always ended the morning announcements with “Am Yisrael Chai.” He also attended every student’s bar or bat mitzvah, rain or shine, no matter the synagogue, sometimes traveling by foot.
“The students are all going to miss him,” Malkus said. “The biggest impact is on the adults in the building, the faculty and staff who worked daily with Rabbi Bellas; they’re devastated. They looked to him as their leader, as a mentor, as a friend, and they’ve all spoken about how kind he was and how he helped them in their jobs.”
Malkus noted that Bellas had been his colleague, but also a friend.
“He was extremely warm,” Malkus said. “He was sometimes silly, and really understood kids deeply. He knew exactly how to share information with children in a way that they would understand and he was the perfect fit to be our Lower School principal.”
Bellas’ own three children attended CESJDS, and his youngest is currently a senior at the Jewish day school.
Bellas had been a “constant presence” at B’nai Shalom of Olney, serving as the synagogue’s primary gabbai rishon and leading the shul in prayer, according to Rabbi Jesse Nagelberg.
“It has been my privilege to be his partner in prayer on our bimah throughout countless Shabbatot and holidays,” Nagelberg wrote in a statement emailed to Washington Jewish Week. “The energy and pure joy that Rabbi Bellas and his family brought to prayer, song, megillah reading and teaching has had a profound influence on our entire community.”
Bellas went on to serve as the vice president of religious affairs on the synagogue’s executive committee, a chair of the religious committee and a member of the rabbi search committee.
“As I mourn the passing of a friend and mentor, I join the entire Jewish community in mourning the passing of a consummate rabbi and educator who kindled the passion for learning and excellence in countless students and teachers,” Nagelberg said.
