Rabbi
David Maxa was born in 1990 and grew up in Prague. Influenced by the stories of his father, a Holocaust survivor, he became interested in Jewish tradition. After studying Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at Charles University, he began his studies at the Abraham Geiger Kolleg rabbinical seminary at the University of Potsdam. As part of his studies, he spent a year at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and also attended classes at other renowned rabbinical schools there, including Hebrew Union College, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
After completing his studies and receiving his rabbinical ordination in 2020, David Maxa became rabbi of the progressive Jewish community Ec chajim in Prague, which he co-founded in 2019, and of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, within which he serves primarily in the Jewish communities of Liberec and Děčín. Since January 2021, he has served as the administrator of the Central European Beit Din (CEBD), a rabbinical court with jurisdiction over the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
David Maxa is a full member of the Rabbinic Assembly of the European Union for Progressive Judaism (EUPJ Rabbinic Assembly – ERA) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), and an associate member of the General Rabbinical Conference in Germany (Allgemeine Rabbinerkonferenz in Deutschland – ARK). In 2023, he was elected to the board of directors of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ). He is a member of the ROI community of the Schusterman Family Foundation, which brings together the most inspiring Jewish leaders from around the world.
He takes an active interest in interfaith and intercultural dialogue and is involved in efforts to prevent antisemitism. In 2021, Charles University awarded him the Miloslav Petrusek Prize for his participation in the NEZAPOMENEME project, which aims to raise awareness of the Holocaust among elementary and high school students.
In addition to Czech, he is fluent in English, German, and Hebrew. He is married to his wife Judita, and together they are raising two children. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, reading, playing sports, and listening to classical music. His rabbinical and personal motto is a quote from the prophet Isaiah, which appears on the facade of the Smíchov Synagogue in Prague: “Peace and prosperity to those far and near.” (Isaiah 57:19)
For more information, visit Rabbi David Maxa’s personal website: www.davidmaxa.com.
You can contact Rabbi David Max by email: david.maxa@ecchajim.cz.