Rabbi Yudell Reiz, the associate rabbi at Chabad of University City in San Diego for the past two years, also has ties to the Kansas City area. The 27-year-old rabbi grew up in Overland Park and attended the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy through sixth grade.
“After that, I went away to yeshiva schools in Pittsburgh and graduated high school there. I went on to study in London, Brooklyn, N.Y., Vancouver, British Columbia, and Pretoria, South Africa, where I was ordained,” he said.
He is the son of Pamela and David Reiz and the grandson of Andrew and Zelda Reiz and Erwin and Janice LaPine, who all still live in this area. He is also the first cousin of Rabbi Avremi, the new co-director of Chabad of MU and Mid-Missouri
“I love what I do! My responsibilities include giving Torah classes, planning holiday and social events, fundraising and bookkeeping,” he said.
Rabbi Reiz works together with his father-in-law Rabbi Moishe Leider. He said the synagogue he works at has been in existence for about 30 years and has been steadily growing.
“I owe much of my success to Rabbis Sholom and Mendy Wineberg and their families, both of the Chabad House Center in Overland Park. They provided me with support and guidance throughout my journey of becoming a rabbi,” he said.
Rabbi Reiz and his wife, Leeba, have two children, 2-year-old Zevi and Rivka, who is 6 weeks old.