Rabbi Joel Landau
Rabbi Joel Landau spent his formative years in New York and Israel. After high school he joined the "Shvut Yisrael” Hesder Yeshiva and served in the IDF as a commander in the tank corps.
Rabbi Landau studied with both the Rabbi of Jerusalem’s Old City - Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl and the former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Shlomo Goren obm. He was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, has a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences, a teaching credential, and a post graduate degree in Judaic Studies.
Over the course of 16 years Rabbi Landau served in two communities. First in Charleston, South Carolina, then in Irvine, California. His energy, creativity, erudition and leadership led to major growth in both communities. In addition to his shul responsibilities he was very involved with many facets of the Jewish community from the local day school to the JCC, Federation, AIPAC and representing Israel and Judaism to the community at large. Upon returning to Israel, Rabbi Landau became involved with organizations that feed the poor and enable ultra-orthodox men and women to receive a college education. Before coming to Adath Israel, Rabbi Landau was the executive director of “Israel Up Close” a non-profit film production company that identifies, researches, and reports on how Israeli innovations improve the daily lives of people throughout the world.