Intro to: Rabbi Yonatan Halevy

RABBI YONTAN HALEVY

KEHILLAT SHAAR HASHMAYIM BY RACHEL STERN

Rabbi Yonatan Halevy has certainly made headlines in the local community as well as the country. Walking home with his father during the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the rabbi was attacked by a local teenager who spewed racial slurs and physically attacked the Rabbi. While Rabbi Halevy and his father are both fine, the way they view security has changed.

Called Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim, the synagogue is small yet mighty. The shul started in May of 2015 and is a subdivision of Rabbi Halevy’s nonprofit organization, Shiviti. The rabbi and Rabbanit Devorah his wife, are very active in their community: They give lectures and teach about Judaism daily and on Shabbat have multiple lectures throughout the day.

Rabbi Halevy explained: “We are not a traditional synagogue, ‘Bet Knesset;’ we are primarily a learning center, or ‘Bet Midrash.’ The praying aspect [here] is secondary while learning is the first.” Halevy admits that this is not for everyone but the members who regularly attend are very happy with this module.

The shul itself has a sister “Bet Midrash” in Los Angeles as well as a virtual Bet Midrash that was recently formulated in the U.K. In addition, they have a program called GLiTS, which stands for Girls Leadership Training Seminar. Girls from other states spend the summer here in San Diego, and do outdoor activities and sleep in tents, all while learning about Judaism.

Rabbi Halevy who was born and raised in San Diego to Israeli parents, hails from Yemenite and Moroccan heritage. His father who is also a rabbi has a doctorate from UCSB and decided to move to San Diego before Rabbi Yonatan was born. His father, Rabbi Dr. Shalom Halevy, is a scientist currently working in the field of data mining and signal processing, and in the past used to work with rockets and missiles with NASA. His mother is a retired teacher and teaches some of the classes offered at the synagogue. Rabbi Halevy attended Soille Hebrew Day School and then attended the Ner Israel Rabbinical College Yeshiva in Baltimore. He moved to Israel where he obtained his Rabbinical certificate at the Midrash Sephardi - Shehebar Sephardic Center and met his wife there. They then moved back to San Diego and started Shiviti while growing their family. They have two boys and twin girls.

“A hate crime, even of a young person, is not a personal attack, but rather an attack against the whole Jewish people,” the rabbi said.

He recently taught a class entitled “Healing Hatred of the Heart,” which was attended by both Jews and non-Jews alike. He believes that the community can heal by learning how to communicate in a respectable and healthy fashion. Today, the rabbi invites anyone interested, to stop by and get a taste of the unique wisdom and teachings that Sephardic Judaism has to offer at Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.KSHSD.ORG.