Shlomo Elkan is a storyteller, bridge builder, and Jewish educator who creates spaces where people can explore identity, encounter one another across differences, and build a more connected Jewish future.
Born in New York and raised in Atlanta, Shlomo studied at yeshivas in Jerusalem and New Jersey before receiving rabbinic ordination from Chabad World Headquarters in Brooklyn. For more than two decades, his work has brought together Jewish education, community building, mentorship, storytelling, and meaningful conversation.
From 2010 to 2026, Shlomo and his wife, Devorah, led Jewish life at Oberlin College. Together, they created a home away from home for generations of students—a welcoming place to gather, celebrate, learn, ask difficult questions, and explore what Judaism could mean in their lives. Shlomo’s work at Oberlin was rooted in the belief that Jewish community becomes strongest when people feel both deeply welcomed and genuinely challenged to grow.
Among the initiatives he created was the How Do You Jew Creative Arts Collective, which gave students a literal and figurative stage on which to explore their Jewish identities. Through open-mic nights, art and photography exhibitions, musical performances, and storytelling, the collective encouraged students to speak more openly about the ways their Jewish identities intersected with their values, relationships, creativity, and experiences on campus. He also created and hosted Soul Searchers, a radio show and podcast examining identity, spirituality, purpose, relationships, and the questions that accompany the transition into adulthood.
Beyond Oberlin, Shlomo has spent more than twenty years educating young adults in Israel, including leading more than thirty Birthright Israel trips for over 1,500 participants. His work has also included Jewish chaplaincy in the Ohio correctional system, educational media, and innovative projects that use technology and storytelling to make Jewish history, ideas, and values more accessible.
Now based in Jerusalem, Shlomo is beginning the next chapter of his work: helping to build a stronger and more connected Jewish society. He is particularly interested in creating opportunities for meaningful relationships across religious, ideological, cultural, and communal divides; strengthening dialogue among the diverse segments of Israeli society; and developing deeper, more reciprocal connections between Israel and Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora.
Across all his work, Shlomo seeks to help people ask better questions, listen with greater curiosity, and discover the values and shared stories that can move the Jewish people forward together.
