Meet our clergy

Rabbi Michelle Dardashti

Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Dardashti is the daughter of an American folk-singer and teacher and an Iranian-born cantor. She was raised on a brand of Judaism that is multicultural, meta-denominational, musical and global; she became a rabbi to share the gifts her parents’ eclectic Judaism afforded her: passion, hope, wonder, gratitude, empathy, responsibility and joy.

Rabbi Dardashti is married to Nathan Sher, who hails from Sydney, Australia; their three children– Eden, Miya and Lavi–attend Hannah Senesh Jewish Day School and Abraham Joshua Heschel High School.

Reb Beni Summers

Director or Liturgy and Learning

Reb Beni brings a soulful and creative approach to Jewish life. He weaves together traditional learning with musicality, meditation, and holds an abiding interest in cultivating alternative approaches to living a thick and rich Jewish life.

His professional career in the Jewish world spans over a decade across denominational lines, affording him a broad perspective on the treasures and troubles each path has to offer.

Cantor Avital Lazar

Director of Education

Cantor Lazar oversees Kane Street Synagogue's Hebrew School, as well as the B’nei Mitzvah Journey.

Aside from her cantorial work, she proudly taught 6th grade Jewish Studies at a prominent New York City Day School for eight consecutive years beginning in 2008. Avital has taught in Hebrew schools in the Reform, Reconstructing Judaism, and Conservative movements, working with students with varied learning needs as well as preparing students for B’nei Mitzvah for more than two decades.

Rabbi David Elitzer

Assistant Director of Youth & Family Engagement

Rabbi David Elizter is thrilled to join Kane Street for the year to further engage children of all ages and their families in the life of the Synagogue.

He was ordained at Hebrew Union College in May 2026, earning an MA in Hebrew Literature along the way. During rabbinical school, Rabbi David completed the 1600 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) necessary to be a board-eligible hospital chaplain and has specialized experience in pediatrics and psychiatry. He also worked as a per diem pediatric chaplain at Mount Sinai Hospital. Rabbi David lives in Carroll Gardens with his partner, Rhea, and dachshund, Earl Grey. He plays the guitar and banjo and is an avid urban gardener.

To learn more about Kane Street Synagogue's Clergy, Hebrew School and overall Jewish life, visit the KSS website here.