Our Values
Or Hamidbar is not one-size-fits-all Judaism.
We are a new kind of group – creating progressive Jewish spirituality in the desert. Our Rabbi, David Lazar, meets all seekers —Jewish or not, believer or skeptic, student or scholar, just trying it out or tried and true —wherever we are in our spiritual journey. His deep grounding in Jewish scholarship and learning, practice, and social engagement foster the open exploration we need for authentic spiritual growth.
Torah
Jewish and other faith traditions, ancient texts and folk-art, contemporary Israel and Jewish American society and culture.
Avodah
Prayer services and meditation for Shabbat, Holidays and walking in nature.
Gemilut Hasadim
A Jewish voice for progressive thought, interfaith collaboration, and repairing the world.
MEET OUR RABBI: DAVID LAZAR
Born in Los Angeles in 1957, Rabbi Lazar has lived and practiced across the spectrum of Jewish observance, from his liberal Conservative familial roots to Orthodoxy in his teens, followed by his move to Israel, where he began his rabbinical studies while serving in the IDF Armor Corps. In 1981, while farming in the Gaza Strip, he met and married Sascha Meijers; they are the parents of five grown daughters and proud grandparents of nine.
Since his ordination by the Schechter Institute in 1993, Rabbi Lazar has led congregations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Stockholm, and Palm Springs. As a Jewish educator in a variety of frameworks, he continues to promote inclusive Jewish practice and interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Lazar was among the earliest international LGBTQ advocates, performing many of the first same-sex weddings in Israel as early as 2001. In Israel, he was the founding director of RIKMA: Spiritual Community Leadership Development, served as chaplain and board member with the Israel AIDS Task Force and was involved in the founding of the Jerusalem Open House.
David and Sascha Lazar now live in Palm Springs, California, where Rabbi Lazar serves as spiritual leader of Or Hamidbar.
For more details about Rabbi Lazar’s affiliations and service, click here.
Follow Along on Instagram:
@davlazar @orhamidbar
Our Board
Daniel Stork
B. Richard Jeffery
Rhonda Rockwell
