Rabbi Lapidus Receives 2025 Covenant Award

The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy proudly announces that Rabbi Micah Lapidus, director of Jewish and Hebrew Studies and School Rabbi, has been named a 2025 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award, the highest honor in the field of Jewish education in North America.

Presented annually by The Covenant Foundation, the Covenant Award recognizes three outstanding Jewish educators across North America whose work exemplifies excellence and impact in the field. In honoring Rabbi Lapidus, who is on the threshold of his 18-year “chai” tenure at Davis, the Foundation celebrates his visionary leadership and deep-rooted commitment to Jewish learning, spiritual growth, and social justice, which have left an indelible mark on the school and its broader community.

“Since Rabbi Micah joined Davis in 2008, he has impacted thousands of lives for the better,” said Amy Shafron, head of school at The Davis Academy, who nominated Rabbi Lapidus for the Award. “He embodies a unique constellation of character traits and virtues. He is humble yet audacious, pragmatic yet visionary; he is a mensch but is not afraid to make difficult decisions. Under his leadership, the Jewish and Hebrew experience at Davis has been transformed. He is a consummate steward of our school’s mission and vision, a universally respected ambassador for Reform and Progressive Judaism, and a wonderful colleague and confidant.”

In his role at The Davis Academy — the largest Reform Jewish day school in the U.S. — Rabbi Lapidus leads a team of educators responsible for designing and delivering rich and meaningful Jewish studies, Hebrew, t’filah, holiday, and music curricula. His influence reaches far beyond the classroom: he conducts weekly school-wide t’filah services, facilitates interfaith learning experiences, and guides the school’s intentional service-learning program. His work is animated by a deep belief in the power of Jewish education to nurture the soul, build community, and foster justice.

“Like so many other Jewish educators, I have benefited from the extraordinary contributions of previous Covenant Foundation Award recipients, and I am so grateful to the Foundation for this honor,” said Rabbi Lapidus. “And, too, I am so blessed to be a part of The Davis Academy, to work alongside such dedicated, inspiring, and creative educators every day. My entire rabbinate has unfolded at Davis, and yet, after 17 years, I still feel like a student here — still learning, still growing.”

Rabbi Lapidus will be honored at a formal ceremony this fall in New York City. The Covenant Award also includes a generous prize for each recipient and a grant to the recipient’s institution.

In recognition of Rabbi Lapidus’ leadership, passion, and commitment to justice, The Davis Academy invites the community to celebrate him with a tribute to The Tzedek Fund at Davis. Donations will be used to honor his work with the Davis community’s children, encouraging acts of justice, compassion, and collective responsibility. The Tzedek Fund supports programs and initiatives inspired by Rabbi Lapidus’ values and vision. To make a tribute in his honor, please visit www.davisacademy.org/TzedekFund