David Shmidt Chapman joined Sutton Place Synagogue as rabbinic intern in May 2019. David’s responsibilities include helping lead Shabbat and holiday services, delivering sermons, teaching adults and children throughout the week, leading SPS’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah program, and supporting the SPS Young Professionals community. In addition, alongside Rabbi Ain and Cantor Kanfer, David offers pastoral care and officiates lifecycle events for SPS members.
David is currently a third-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he is a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Prior to starting rabbinical school David worked for several Jewish organizations, helping advance causes in the US and in Israel that ensured dignity and democracy for all. Before that, David was a theater director and educator for almost ten years, a career that took him around the world. David was a Fulbright scholar in Hungary, a Henry Luce Scholar in Vietnam, an intern at UNESCO in Paris, and has worked across the US. In addition, David is a member of ROI (the Schusterman Foundation’s leadership network) and was included in the Jewish Week’s list of “36 Under 36” New York Jews making a difference. A Chicago native, David lives in Port Washington, Long Island, with his husband Jonathan and their son Elior.
