Rabbi David Arias

  ״וְטַהֵר לִבֵּנוּ לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת״

“Purify our hearts to serve you truly.”

I’m not a man who likes to define himself, for sure not through words, but what defines me the most is an intense passion for Jewish Life. So, beyond reading this short Bio, I encourage you to reach out, come and visit, and let’s have a coffee, a cup of tea, bourbon, beer, or whatever together. I would love to meet you in person and work with you to make this world a better place through the ancient teachings of our tradition.

Studying, learning, teaching, and mainly DOING Judaism is what keeps me alive. I strongly believe in the diversity of the Jewish people, from the Ashkenazi to the Sephardic, from the Yemenites to the Persian Jews. We are all faces of one big nation. That’s how I became a Rabbi, pursuing Judaism's multiple values, practices, and colors.

I was born in Chile, and from a very young age, I’ve been involved in the Conservative (Masorti) Movement. I was an active member of the local youth movement, “Tikva,” in Santiago, which took me to a gap year program in Israel back in 2007 when I totally fell in love with our promised land. Upon my return to Chile, I decided to study Music, and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music & Sound technologies. After finishing my studies in Chile, I fulfilled my dream and made Aliyah to Jerusalem in 2014. Shortly after that, I joined the IDF for six months, and ever since, I served as a proud reservist, including the recent war, when I had the opportunity to defend our country for more than three months in southern command, and being in Gaza strip a couple of times.

After my military service of half a year, I started studying at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, and the Schechter Institutes. I received my Rabbinical Ordination in December 2019, just a few months after I started my first position as a Rabbi in Moriah Congregation in Haifa, the first Conservative Synagogue founded in Israel in 1955.

As a Rabbi and Musician, I love to integrate both worlds and deepen the spirituality of Jewish tradition through its texts and melodies. I have a large Background as a Sheliach Tzibur (cantor and prayer leader), and I’ve been leading Tefillot (prayers) for over 20 years in different places all over the globe, in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Israel, and currently in the states. I love to combine different cultures within the Jewish liturgy; being raised in a “Yekke” congregation, moving to Israel and living there for 10 years, and absorbing the Sephardic music, all this gave me the ability to offer a wide range of Nussachim (liturgical styles).

I’m married to Daiana, the love of my life, whom I met during my gap year in Israel, and we have been together ever since. She is originally from Argentina and made Aliyah when she was a little girl with her family in the late 90’s. We both are the proud parents of Yohai, our biggest son, born in 2020, and Hodaya, our daughter, born in April 2024.

We came to Temple Judea as a family, as Israelis, to bring you a bit of our promised land to this little paradise in South West Florida. We invite you to join us on this journey and enjoy it as much as we do.