We Are From Here; A Family Story of Indigenous Jews with Rabbi Gadi Capela

Temple Beth Sholom Continuing Education Committee presents...

"We Are From Here" A Family Story of Indigenous Jews

with Rabbi Gadi Capela

Sunday, July 20, at 1:00 pm at Temple Beth Sholom

Registrations are requested - Click Here to register.

Rabbi Gadi Capela was a graduate student on campus at Columbia University during the October 7 riots. In this short film, he shares his family’s exodus from Yemen during Operation On Wings of Eagles as well as his experiences and interactions on campus.. For more information please email info@tbssrq.org.

Rabbi Gadi Capela (Spiritual Leader, Educator, Interfaith Advocate) is a devoted spiritual leader, educator, and interfaith advocate with over 20 years of experience in congregational leadership and community engagement. Since 2012, he has served as the rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport, New York.

Born in Rehovot, Israel, Rabbi Capela served in the IDF during the Gulf War, and became a lieutenant in a Combat Engineering search-and-rescue unit. He later authored a critical assessment for IDF Chief of Staff Ehud Barak. In 1995, he immigrated to New York.

Rabbi Capela holds a Master’s in Modern Jewish Studies from The Jewish Theological Seminary/Columbia University, where he produced the film We Are From Here, based on his experience on Columbia campus during October 7. He also earned a Master’s in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from Yeshiva University. He is currently a research fellow at Bo’ee Taiman – where he explores the history and traditions of the Yemenite Jewish community.

Rabbi Capela also holds a bachelor’s degree in business management. Before entering the rabbinate, he worked for a decade as a business analyst and project manager in the banking and management consulting industries, overseeing global financial initiatives.

A passionate advocate for interfaith dialogue, Rabbi Capela co-founded Project Genesis Interfaith in 2006, fostering Christian-Jewish monthly lectures, annual interfaith trips to Israel, and community events. In 2016, he was honored with an invitation to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass with Pope Francis.

As President of the East End Jewish Community Council, Rabbi Capela leads regional efforts to combat antisemitism and promote Jewish identity through initiatives like No Hate in Our State and Holocaust remembrance programs.

In May this year, Rabbi Capela was honored by the Suffolk County with the Jewish-American Person of Distinction Award for 2025, recognizing his leadership at Congregation Tifereth Israel, his presidency of the East End Jewish Community Council, and his interfaith outreach through Project Genesis,

Through his leadership and scholarship, Rabbi Capela continues to inspire and uplift communities, both locally and globally.