Rabbi Andrew Markowitz of Adath Israel in Merion Station is a native Philadelphian. A fourth-generation resident of the area, he grew up in Northeast Philly and went to Akiba Hebrew Academy, now called the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. He explored other parts of the country, but he said that he always wanted to make it back. In fact, he has an analogy for Philadelphians, who always seem to come back home.

“I love Philadelphia because it’s home. Philadelphians are like boomerangs — we go out into the world, we see that it’s not so great out there and then we come home,” he said. “Philly’s a big city that feels like a small town. Everybody knows each other, and even as people are coming in, it’s still got a bit of a small town [feel]. It’s nice to have that tight-knit community.”

Markowitz has been a rabbi at Adath Israel for seven years, working closely with Senior Rabbi Eric Yanoff, who has been at the synagogue since 2010. Markowitz said that Yanoff is a great mentor, and together they are able to accomplish more than they could alone. While two rabbis may create a crowded bimah at some synagogues, at Adath Israel, it works.

“Rabbi Yanoff is the mensch-iest mensch you’ve ever met. He’s gracious as a senior colleague, and he doesn’t treat me like a junior colleague. He doesn’t refer to me as the assistant or the associate or even the second rabbi,” he said. “There’s nothing that he has me do that he wouldn’t do himself. There’s no, ‘Oh, I’m just going to get the young guy to do this.’”

Markowitz said that there are small differences in their workflows. He works on Adath Israel’s educational programs more, while Yanoff is more focused on institutional advancement. But they collaborate on most everything and have the same big-picture goals.

“It’s a partnership, and I’m grateful that I have a mentor, colleague and friend who treats me like a partner,” he said.

The current moment is a stressful one for American Jews, and Markowitz said that there are a lot of political questions that are popping up at Adath Israel right now. He described what he said is the biggest issue facing the congregation at the moment.

“We have a staunchly Zionist and, like most of Montgomery County, I would say a majority blue [congregation]. How do you cut that? I think considering the current political climate in this particular moment, I think the big question is how does Zionism and liberalism and the Democratic Party relate to American politics at large?” he asked.

He said he anticipates more conversations about this issue. He also said he wants to partner with other synagogues and Jewish organizations as well as institutions from other communities as a way to understand the best moves going forward.

“I look forward to working with colleagues and working with congregants to help tackle and think about and conceive of ways that we can better address (this issue) and really branch out to other communities to create a coalition,” he said.

Markowitz said that, internally, he sees his role as being meant to foster joy among Jews.

“I think that Judaism is really about joy, and the kind of community that we seek to build at Adath Israel is one of connection and shared joy. Even in the toughest moments, we are a community that celebrates and raises each other up and finds the light in the darkness,” he said. “That’s fundamentally what I see my role as a rabbi as: to help people make meaning in a chaotic world and bring light to it.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com