Rabbis of LA | Rabbi Alex Kress: The Lucky Rabbi

In March of 2020, just as the pandemic started, Rabbi Alex Kress of Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica was diagnosed with testicular cancer. It spread to his abdomen and he had a series of surgeries to treat it. 

“Luckily, because I was under surveillance for cancer, they found it very early,” he said. “This past September, I had a fourth surgery, and to be sure there is no more spread, I’m going through a round of chemotherapy.”

The young rabbi has been contending with all of this while raising his two kids and becoming rabbi at Beth Shir Shalom in July of 2021. These past High Holy Days were the first time he conducted services in person. 

Even though the past few years have been challenging, Kress has a positive attitude about everything he’s been through. 

“It’s been quite a journey with ups and downs and surprises,” he said. “You think you’re past cancer, and then it comes back. It’s significantly life altering, but at least I’ve had a good prognosis because testicular cancer is treatable. It’s frustrating to be knocked out of commission many times, but I’m also feeling very lucky and grateful for having good care.”

Kress feels lucky to only have to go through the one round of chemo, colloquially called “chemo-lite.” He’s happy to have competent doctors and to have his community supporting him when he needs it the most. 

“The community is almost as powerful as my faith,” he said. “People show up and they bring meals, and they’ve been really amazing. It’s a blessing. It really makes you count your blessings.” 

Weekdays, the rabbi works at the synagogue and preschool; he gets to spend time with his 3-year-old son, who is in preschool there.  

“That is a great blessing also,” Kress said. 

The rabbi grew up in an interfaith home in Philadelphia. From a young age, he was skeptical of religion, but he gained appreciation for it when he became a teenager.

“I started to understand the complexity of life and how ritual and Torah inform us and guide us through life,” he said. “For me, it was all the relationships I had that kept me in the community.” 

Kress became involved in his temple’s youth group as well as URJ Camp Harlam. He said that it was his rabbi, Rabbi Peter Rigler of Temple Sholom in Broomall, Penn. who first gave him the idea of going into the rabbinate.

“He was a very young, cool rabbi who took me under his wing. He told me I should be a rabbi. I thought it was the craziest idea.“

“He was a very young, cool rabbi who took me under his wing,” Kress said. “He told me I should be a rabbi. I thought it was the craziest idea. But I realized: What’s a profession? It’s something you enjoy doing. And I enjoyed Judaism, so it all clicked.”

Kress attended Temple University for Jewish Studies and then enrolled in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. After graduation, he worked at Temple Sinai of Roslyn in New York, but realized he wanted to come back to LA. He took on a position at Hillel at UCLA prior to joining Beth Shir Shalom last year.

The time spent in and out of doctors’ offices has been hard for Kress, as he hasn’t gotten to spend as much time at his congregation as he wants. But, he’s finding ways to stay connected to his faith.

“There was this very clear moment where I tried to pray, and I got to asher yatzar (“who formed”), the prayer about the inner workings on the body and I thought, ‘Wow, the body is amazing,’” he said. “I’ve gone through multiple surgeries, and my body is still working.”

Now that Kress has gone through such difficulties, it’s given him a sharper focus of what he wants to accomplish in life. 

“My ultimate goal is to bring people together and help them find meaning in their lives,” he said. “Judaism has given me guidance and strength, partly from its teachings and partly from its emphasis on community. I want to repair our piece of the world and leave it better for others. I want to help people navigate the very difficult terrain of life, and help them find meaning and support.”

Fast Takes with Alex Kress

Jewish Journal: What’s your favorite Jewish food?

Alex Kress: Brisket is my go-to on the Jewish holidays. I love my grandmother’s recipe. It’s food that evokes memory and family.

JJ: Your website says you like hip hop and coffee. Who is your favorite hip hop group and what’s your favorite coffee?

AK: A Tribe Called Quest, and if we’re going local, Caffe Luxxe. The one that really got me hooked on coffee is Ruby Colorful Coffees, which is based in Wisconsin.

JJ: Why aren’t you on Facebook or Instagram? 

AK: I got off of both of them and it’s been great. I really don’t miss it. 

JJ: What do you do instead?

AK: I have a Duolingo streak going for Hebrew. I listen to more podcasts and read more books. One of the biggest things I do is spend time with my kids. I’m always buried in my phone, and trying to be present for them in the moments we are together is really important to me.