About
Rabbi Barry (Baruch) Leff is a dual Israeli-American rabbi and writer who divides his time between Israel and the US.
He’s changed careers as often as some people change jobs. For his first career, he worked as a high-tech executive and entrepreneur in California’s Silicon Valley for 20 years. He started a high-tech manufacturing firm and served as CEO as it grew from nothing to 90 employees. He has a PhD in Business Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Career number 2 was being a congregational rabbi — going to school (he was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles) and serving congregations in Tucson, Vancouver (Canada), and Toledo made for a nearly ten year Sabbatical from the business world.
Career number 3 had Rabbi Leff back in the business world, consulting in management and marketing, and doing online marketing including websites, blogs, papers, and social media marketing for clients mostly in the US. He is a co-founder of Tek-Law Services, Ltd.
From 2016 to 2023 he went back and forth between doing interim rabbi assignments and doing content marketing. From 2016 to 2018 he served as interim rabbi for Temple Beth-El in Birmingham, Alabama, 2019-2020 (and the start of COVID) was with Herzl Ner Tamid in Mercer Island, Washington 2019-2020, and his most recent assignment was with Shaare Zion Beth-El in Montreal during 2022-2023.
He now spends his time writing, volunteering on non-profit boards, and traveling. He serves on the Committee for Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement.
He’s had three careers, but lots of other jobs, including charter pilot, restaurant manager, electronic warfare specialist in the US Army, salesman, and bouncer.
A frequent flier, Rabbi Leff has been to over 70 countries. Born in Germany, he has lived in Thailand, Iran, Canada, the US and Israel.
He’s also a flight instructor, and prefers flying the airplane himself, but El Al refuses to cooperate.
Interests
Jewishly: Kabbalah/Chasidut, Mussar, Talmud, Halacha
Otherly: Flying, running, skiing, SCUBA Diving, yoga, playing the piano, spending time with my kids and grandkids
Contact
- Website: https://www.neshamah.net
- Business website: http://www.tek-law.com
- Email me
Rav Barry:
Please advise me if Rabbi Sizomu was successful in his bid for a Parliament seat in the Feb. 18 election. I have included him in my forthcoming book, FROM JERUSALEM TO THE LION OF JUDAH AND BEYOND: Israel’s Foreign Policy in East Africa Since 1948. If the Rabbi was successful I would like to have that as the last entry of that section of that section of the book.
Thus far, I have not been able to find any reference to what happened. Perhaps you know or know where to find out.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Dr. Steve Carol
Prof. of History (retired)
Associate Producer and Official Historian
MIDDLE EAST RADIO FORUM
http://www.middleeastradioforum.org
Dear Rabbi Leff
My article, “Two-State ‘Solution’: Around the World and in History,” was published in the May issue of Jewish Magazine. The URL of the web site is http://jewishmag.com/. The title of the article is listed in the second column of the home page.
Despite multiple beatings of the dead horse of Mideast peace, I found something new to say. Along the way, I debunked the so-called international community, which holds so-called international law dear.
You’ll find the article interesting.
Stephen Kruger
Attorney at Law
The Conservative has changed a lot. When I was in the ODED program there was just the ‘Beit Cafe’ and the Youth Hostel with the Synagogue next door.
Where can I get more pictures of its changes? Yitshov was the business manager, is he still alive and well? I can see Rabbi Schindler and Rabbi Romm are alive and doing well.
Hello Rabbi Leff,
Great background…but I was knocked back in the paragraph on Career #2 when it said “ten year sabbatical”! Wow, has it really been that long! Ten years sounds like a long time — till you live it!
Nice website. I read a bit in a couple of the articles but will have to go back and spend some more time. BTW, I have every confidence in your abilities but I’m still comforted that El Al won’t let you in the cockpit! (Though I bet you could probably handle it)
Sounds like you don’t have too much time for extra-curricular reading but I’d love to send you a copy of my book “The Methuselah Man”. I think you would like it but I’d be interested in your feedback one way or the other. (The first four chapters and the screenplay are on my website)
In the meantime, keep up the good work, my friend…and congrats on becoming a grandpa!
Shalom,
Will
“Rabbis for human rights” = Bolsheviker Narishkeit.
No wonder you’re squishy on tannit Esther AND Nicanor Day; the both relate to Jewish VICTORY and u only celebrate Jewish loss.
I happily celebrate Purim, Passover, and Chanukah, all of which celebrate Jewish victories. I’m not so keen on the minor fast days that commemorate defeats. I do fast on Tisha b’Av because we need the reminder that the world is not perfected yet.
I practice not to practice. But I do appreciate your website.
Sounds very Zen! 🙂