David Shofet
David Shofet | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1939 (age 86–87) |
| Occupation | Rabbi |
| Parent(s) | Yedidia Shofet Rabbanit Heshmat Shofet |
David Shofet is an Iranian American rabbi. He is the founder and chief rabbi of the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills, California.
Early life
Shofet was born in 1939 in Tehran, Iran.[1][2] David comes from a family who have been rabbis for twelve generations.[3] He is a Sephardi Jew.[4] His father, Yedidia Shofet, served as the Chief Rabbi of Iran from 1922 to 1980.[1][5][6] His mother is Rabbanit Heshmat Shofet.[7]
Shortly after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Shofet emigrated to the United States.[1]
Career

Shofet founded the Nessah Synagogue in 1980.[1] They first met at the Beth Jacob Congregation.[1] Since 2002, the synagogue has been based on South Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills, California.[1] Shofet still serves as its chief rabbi.[3][4]
Shortly after his father's death, Persian-Jewish leaders signed a resolution to recognize him as the primary religious leader of their community.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History of Nessah". Nessah Synagogue. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Rabbi David Shofet - Iranian Jewish Culure". 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
- 1 2 Soomekh, Saba (2012). From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 20. ISBN 9781438443836. OCLC 760532912.
- 1 2 Papo, Joseph M. (1987). Sephardim in Twentieth-Century America: In Search of Unity. San Jose, California: Pelé Yoetz Books. p. 295. OCLC 15016929. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- 1 2 Melamed, Karmel (October 13, 2005). "Rabbi David Shofet to Serve as Iranians' Spiritual Leader". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ↑ Bergman, Ronen (2008). The Secret War with Iran: The 30-Year Clandestine Struggle Against the World's Most Dangerous Terrorist Power. New York: Free Press. p. 36. ISBN 9781416558392. OCLC 214286010. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
David Shofet.
- ↑ Melamed, Karmel (November 16, 2009). "Nessah Honors Rabbanit Heshmat Shofet". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- Living people
- Religious leaders from Tehran
- Iranian emigrants to the United States
- Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States
- Iranian Jews
- American Orthodox rabbis
- American people of Iranian-Jewish descent
- 20th-century American Sephardic Jews
- 21st-century American Sephardic Jews
- 21st-century American rabbis
- American anti-same-sex-marriage activists
- Clergy from Beverly Hills, California
- Activists from Beverly Hills, California