Rabbi Max Chaiken (they/them) was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Los Angeles in 2018. Since then they have served in congregational settings, bringing a passion for music, learning, social justice, and more to their rabbinate. They served Temple Emanuel of Andover, MA from the summer of 2021 until December 2023, and prior to that had served Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, CA for five years, first as a student and then as the congregation’s first ever Assistant Rabbi.

A native of Teaneck, New Jersey, Rabbi Max holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy from Brown University. They have been a lifelong songleader and have an extensive background in our URJ Camping movement, including many summers on staff at the URJ Camp Harlam and two summers teaching songleading at the URJ Kutz Camp. Rabbi Max likes to bring Judaism into their diverse interests, from cooking, to time spent outdoors, cycling, hiking, or just making music. Rabbi Max is a writer and a composer, and their series of Divrei Torah on the book of Deuteronomy was published by ReformJudaism.org in 2020. Rabbi Max brings a unique warmth in worship and learning to sanctuaries and classrooms of all ages and stages of life, and they are excited to join the team at Adas Emuno for the 2024-2025 academic year!