After 17 Years at Beth Jacob, Rabbi Kalman Topp Begins His Jerusalem Chapter

For 17 years, Rabbi Kalman Topp stood at the pulpit of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills. This fall, he and his wife, Dr. Jordana Topp, are beginning a new chapter in Jerusalem.

Beth Jacob's official biography now lists Rabbi Topp as Rabbi Emeritus, after serving as Senior Rabbi from 2009 through 2026. The congregation credits him with strengthening Beth Jacob as a leading center of Modern Orthodoxy and Religious Zionism, and with fostering a warm, inclusive atmosphere across a large and diverse membership.

Before coming west, Rabbi Topp served as Associate Rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere and as Rabbi at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and taught Judaic studies at the Frisch School and the Hebrew Academy of Five Towns and Rockaways. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion, received semicha from Yeshiva University's RIETS, and earned a master's degree from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education. Beth Jacob's biography notes that he currently serves as First Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America.

In August, Beth Jacob held a farewell Shabbat in his honor. The Jewish Journal reported that he told the community not goodbye but lehitraot. Speakers included Board President Mark Goldin and Board Chairman Jack Fenigstein. Rabbi Topp told the Journal he would miss being the congregation's rabbi, but felt real gratitude for the experience and excitement for what comes next.

A new kehillah in Givat HaMatos

The Topps are making aliyah. According to the Jewish Journal, they plan to settle in Jerusalem, where Rabbi Topp will help establish a new Anglo congregation in Givat HaMatos, a neighborhood still under development in the capital.

The new community is called Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael. In an interview published by Israel National News, Rabbi Topp described a shul that serves as a center of Jewish life beyond tefillah, drawing on his experience in Los Angeles. He said the community's name reflects that philosophy.

A sponsored item on Israel National News, labeled as public relations content, said he was landing in Israel the week of October 9 and hosting a brunch and site tour in Givat HaMatos that Friday. In it, Rabbi Topp described the kehillah he hopes to build as serious about Torah and avodat Hashem while also warm, welcoming and non-judgmental.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Rabbi Topp bought an apartment in a new project in the neighborhood and is expected to settle there once construction is complete. Construction in Givat HaMatos is still underway, and Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael is in its early stages, according to the Israel National News interview.

What comes next at Beth Jacob

Back in Beverly Hills, Beth Jacob is turning to the question of succession. Associate Rabbi Adir Posy told the Jewish Journal that the shul's plans for a new senior rabbi will include launching a search committee. The public reports reviewed for this article do not include a timeline for the search or details of interim arrangements.

For the many families who davened, learned and celebrated with the Topps over 17 years, the departure marks the end of an era on Olympic Boulevard, and the start of a new kehillah in Jerusalem.

Sources

• Rabbi Kalman Topp, Beth Jacob Congregation

• Beth Jacob Holds Farewell Shabbat for Longtime Rabbi Kalman Topp, Jewish Journal

• Aliyah and Real Estate: Dvir Dimri speaks with Rabbi Kalman Topp, Israel National News

• Givat HaMatos, Israel National News (public relations content)

• Rabbi Kalman Topp article, The Jerusalem Post