Hadar Institute Expands Locally

To build more vibrant, practicing, and egalitarian communities, the Hadar Institute has begun programming in Atlanta and will be led by Rabbi Ayal Robkin, a third-generation Atlantan with deep ties to the Jewish community here.

Hadar is focused on building upon what it describes as the “three pillars” of Jewish life: Torah (learning), Avodah (prayer and music), and Hesed (acts of loving kindness). These pillars are central to the organization’s mission to help individuals and communities build Jewish lives through activities like text study, communal prayer, and service projects.

Hadar Atlanta’s launch event was held recently at Congregation Shearith Israel. The participatory gathering, called “Rising Song Elul Gathering,” combined communal singing, rooted in traditional texts; contemporary melodies and harmony; and prayerful communal singing and niggunim (wordless melodies, often sung in a group setting using repetitive vocals like bim-bim-bam or yai-yai-yai). The event was presented in partnership with Congregation Shearith Israel and co-sponsored by Ma’alot Atlanta and Base Atlanta.

The event was headlined by Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz, an accomplished musician and Hadar’s director of tefillah and music. She has collaborated on more than two dozen records of new Jewish music, including her original albums, “The Narrow and the Expanse,” (2020) and “Yetzira” (2023). Sacks Mintz was joined by local Atlanta musicians Dov Rosenblatt, Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe, and Ori Salzburg for the concert that evening. A packed room of joyful and engaged participants, many of whom join the gatherings throughout the country, sang along with the musicians throughout the performance.

“I could not be more excited to return home to Atlanta with Hadar,” said Rabbi Ayal Robkin, director of Hadar Atlanta. “Hadar’s religious vision reflects so many values that I learned growing up here – warmth, openness, responsibility for the community and broader society. My hope is that Hadar Atlanta will be a place where people from all Jewish backgrounds can come together to learn, pray, and build community.”

Rabbi Robkin is a graduate of Greenfield Hebrew Academy (now Atlanta Jewish Academy) and The Weber School. Prior to moving back to Atlanta, he taught Talmud, Bible, Jewish thought, and mindfulness meditation at the Abraham Joshua Heschel High School in New York. A graduate of University of Maryland with a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he is also a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program and holds rabbinic ordination from Yashrut.

Hadar Atlanta launched this local effort as a result of a generous, multi-year commitment of $1.1 million from the Zalik Foundation. This support reflects the Foundation’s commitment to strengthening Jewish education in Atlanta by investing in meaningful, high-quality learning opportunities that connect Jewish values and wisdom to everyday life.

“As Atlanta and its Jewish community have grown, so has the demand for meaningful learning and spiritual depth,” said Rabbi Avi Killip, executive vice president of Hadar and a fellow Atlanta native. “We are showing up where Jews are, responding to their needs, and enriching the already vibrant Jewish landscape in the area.”

Hadar Atlanta is a significant, new investment for the organization, which also has full-time faculty positions in New York, Jerusalem, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Nationally, Hadar engages more than 35,000 people each year through both classes and multi-day, immersive learning opportunities, concerts and events. Hadar also offers content via its online library, podcasts, publications and other resources.

Rabbi Robkin is joined in Atlanta by his wife, Maddy Bloch, and children, Neima and Menashe. He is currently meeting with individuals and organizational leaders to assess the needs and types of programming desired in Atlanta. To find out more about the events offered by Hadar Atlanta, please email info@hadar.org and ask to be added to its listserv in Atlanta.