Rabbi Hal Schevitz was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, in a family that placed a great emphasis on the love of Judaism. He grew up attending Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, a Reform synagogue, where his confirmation class voted him “most likely to become a rabbi.” Rabbi Schevitz attended the University of Maryland at College Park and earned a Master of Arts in Jewish Education and a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies from Baltimore Hebrew University. In June 2013, he was ordained at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, a transdenominational and pluralistic seminary. While at rabbinical school, he served as a rabbinic intern at Temple Beth Abraham of Canton, MA, and as the student rabbi of Temple Shalom in Salem, MA, both of which are Conservative synagogues.
After his ordination, Rabbi Schevitz served as the Assistant Rabbi of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, where he worked alongside and learned from Rabbi Dennis Sasso. While there, Rabbi Schevitz developed his pastoral presence and brought new energy to Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Morning Services. He also worked on revamping and revitalizing the 6th-10th grade curriculum, taught the 10th-grade Confirmation Class, and a multi-session seminar to upcoming B’nai Mitzvah and their families. Additionally, Rabbi Schevitz initiated a Shabbat-morning Torah study class and expanded Torah-on-Tap, a group that engaged young professionals both socially and Jewishly.
After completing his three-year contract at Beth-El Zedeck, Rabbi Schevitz became the rabbi at Congregation Or Atid, a Conservative synagogue in Henrico, VA, a suburb of Richmond. There, he served in various capacities as the dynamic spiritual leader of Or Atid: pastor, Hazzan, educator, B’nai Mitzvah tutor, and community ambassador. Rabbi Schevitz also initiated relationships with the Christian and Muslim communities in Richmond and partnered with them for various interfaith programs. He is a proud Zionist who attended AIPAC policy conferences from 2017-2020, led his congressional district’s delegation in 2020, and is a member of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition. He served on the Richmond JCRC Board and as the chair of the Richmond Council of Congregational Rabbis.
Rabbi Schevitz is passionate about Torah, which he sees as a form of “instruction” that can provide personal and communal meaning. As both a student and a teacher, he aims to guide each person to find modern relevance in ancient texts, connecting them to a tradition that has been evolving for thousands of years.
When Rabbi Schevitz learned of the opportunity to return to Beth-El Zedeck, he was excited to bring the experience he gained from his previous six years at Congregation Or Atid back to the synagogue, where he began his rabbinic career.
Rabbi Schevitz is married to Jena, and they are the proud parents of Naomi and Arielle.