Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Rabbi Doug Heifetz is honored to serve as Kol Ami’s rabbi. For nearly two decades, he has helped Reconstructionist congregations deepen Jewish learning, strengthen relationships, and create communities where people feel known, challenged, and inspired. He loves helping people discover that Judaism is at its richest when we bring our whole selves to the conversation—asking honest questions, exploring enduring ideas, finding moments of surprise and delight, and discovering together how Jewish tradition can illuminate the lives we live today.

Throughout his rabbinate, Rabbi Doug has partnered closely with lay leaders and volunteers to cultivate communities where people feel a deep sense of belonging, shared ownership, and purpose. Whether leading worship, facilitating discussion, teaching Torah, offering pastoral care, or celebrating life’s milestones, he strives to create spaces where tradition and contemporary life meet in thoughtful conversation, with room for reflection, laughter, music, and many different perspectives. He believes that some of the most meaningful moments in Jewish life begin not with easy answers, but with thoughtful questions that help us see ourselves, one another, and our tradition in new ways.

In addition to his rabbinate, Rabbi Doug is the founder of Lost & Forged, an award-winning metal art studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he designs and creates handcrafted jewelry, Judaica, and functional art from antique silverware. His work as an artist reflects the same spirit he brings to Jewish life: approaching familiar things with curiosity, uncovering hidden possibilities, and revealing unexpected beauty and meaning.

Rabbi Doug lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he treasures time with his two children, now young adults, whose curiosity, humor, and perspectives continually enrich his own. He is grateful to be part of the Kol Ami community. He looks forward to learning, celebrating, and growing together as they continue building a joyful, thoughtful, and inclusive Jewish home.