After speaking at his grandmother’s funeral, David Feinberg’s longtime mentor and family friend gave him a suggestion that would change the trajectory of his life.

“Maybe we should talk about rabbinical school based on what you just said,” Rabbi Joel Seltzer told the Philadelphia native.

This was in summer 2025. Now, Feinberg is among Hebrew Union College’s largest rabbinical cohort in more than a decade. He is spending his first year of rabbinical school in Israel alongside 27 peers before beginning classes at either HUC’s New York or Los Angeles campus for the remaining four years.

And it all began at a funeral, honoring the family matriarch who served as a “lifelong Jewish educator,” in Feinberg’s words.

“That was a catalyst, I would say, to something that I’d sort of been flirting with … for many years,” Feinberg said of the conversation with Seltzer.

He began researching different rabbinical schools, programs and movements — raised in a “very Conservative Jewish household” and attending Temple Sinai in Dresher, Feinberg notably attends a Reform rabbinical school. This choice reflects a trend he’s seen of choosing a school based on personal need rather than denomination.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done in a communal, social, active kind of way, and I think that Hebrew Union College’s program is extremely robust in terms of pastoral care outreach,” Feinberg said. “I really like that a lot of their education is programmed around action placement.”

Feinberg noted that there are many ways to get into Jewish involvement, such as through a love of Jewish text.

“My central nexus is very much about leading with action,” he said.

He spent nearly seven years as an educator, songleader and innovator of the Hebrew school curriculum at Congregation Beth El of Bucks County. Feinberg also taught at Makom Community in Philadelphia.

After a move to Chicago in 2021, he led an education program at Ramah Day Camp Chicagoland.

“I thought I wanted to stay on the Jewish educational path best I could, but my grandmother, who was a long-term educator, was a really big influence on me,” Feinberg said.

Now a rabbinical student, Feinberg said there are many social causes close to his heart.

“That is the exciting point that we’re exploring a lot in school right now: what are entrance points into faith, finding more creative balances of ways to find one’s own spirituality, experimentation with one’s own spirituality, as well as trying out new things,” he said.

In line with the Reform tradition, Feinberg believes that Judaism encourages people to find new ways into the faith that resonate with them.

“It doesn’t have to be past tradition, just how we’ve done it in the past,” he explained. “We should put [Judaism] into practice in a way that feels like it fits well with us, and it’s a reflection of our stories.”

This year is an adjustment for Feinberg, who wasn’t particularly Jewishly involved during his college years: “I came back around to it.”

“I also haven’t been a student in several years, so the big thing is just learning how to be a student,” he said.

While this next chapter — attending rabbinical school overseas — may be a step outside his comfort zone, Feinberg said he’s excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

“The work is challenging, but that’s what I signed up for,” Feinberg said. “A friend of mine [asked] what I wanted out of rabbinical school. I said that I kind of wanted it to kick my butt a little bit, to get me in gear.”

He described HUC’s Year in Israel program as dynamic and engaging so far. It’s also a peak year for HUC, given that the school has seen a higher-than-usual enrollment of rabbinical students.

“I think it shows that people are up to the task — young people especially,” Feinberg said. “I’m proud to say that we have a really great cohort here.”

The estimated median age of the cohort is about 26 or 27, according to 30-year-old Feinberg.

“Young people are up to the task, and we’re excited to do it,” he said. “There’s a lot of people in our cohort with exciting ideas, passion, ventures for learning, for what they plan for leadership. I think it’s going to make a lot of good change.”

As for 2031, after he’s ordained, Feinberg is still unsure of what the future entails. He hasn’t ruled out returning to where his whole journey began.

“Philadelphia, I think, is a dynamic Jewish community,” Feinberg said. “Philadelphia’s Jewish community is vibrant. There’s a lot of innovative people within it, and I’d be happy to be considered a part.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com