Rabbi Aaron Potek, who for four years has brought Judaism to participants of GatherDC, which serves Jews in their 20s and 30s, will leave his job for a position at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue beginning on July 15.
“He has a great reputation in D.C.,” said Rabbi Shira Stutman of 6th & I. “He’s a thoughtful man — he’s written some articles that have been incredibly thoughtful. Our primary job is to serve the young, Jewish professionals of the D.C. community, and he’s incredibly
well-equipped to add nuance to the conversation.”
GatherDC executive director Rachel Gildiner said her organization will begin a search for a new rabbi in the next few weeks.
At GatherDC, Potek led camping trips and retreats, created alternate holiday
services and led discussion groups.
“We’re looking for somebody to build off of the foundation that Aaron has built,” Gildiner said.
At Sixth & I, Potek will fill the spot held by Rabbi Scott Perlo, who left in May 2018, Stutman said.
Potek said he is inspired by Sixth & I’s work with young Jewish adults. “I feel like it’s a perfect fit for me. It really combines many of my seemingly disparate interests,” he said. “[It’s] a center for creativity, arts and culture. The fact that this all happens under one roof is pretty cool.”
