Rabbi Maroof

Name: Rabbi Joshua Maroof
 
What people call you: Rabbi Maroof
 
Congregation: Magen David Sephardic Congregation
 
Location: 11215 Woodglen Dr. Rockville, MD
 
Denomination: Sephardic (Member of the Orthodox Union)

Ordained from: Rabbi Yisroel Chait, Yeshiva Bnei Torah

Programs/Services you run/offer:  Shiurim/Classes, Daily/Shabbat/Holiday services, Shabbat dinners, hospitality, YAD-MD that provides a wide range of exciting activities and events for young professionals

Speciality within Judaism: Sephardic/Middle Eastern Liturgy and Music, maintaining tradition while embracing and accepting everyone for who he or she is without being judgmental or pushy

One DC Jewish event that you highly recommend: Anything sponsored by our synagogue or YAD-MD

Hobbies: I play the violin, write short stories and poetry, and enjoy singing

Fun fact about you: I know how to read and speak Hindi, and I am a certified expert in Classical Music, Rap and Hip Hop

Contact information: rjmaroof@yahoo.com, rjmaroof on Youtube, Joshua Maroof on Facebook, @rabbimaroof on Twitter, 301-770-6818 at the synagogue

Anything else: One of the most rewarding elements of my work in this community has been the opportunity to build very close relationships with so many of the young professionals in the area. I find myself chatting online with them late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, exchanging text messages and Facebook posts with them, and cultivating connections that are genuine friendships with them, not just professional interactions. I am accessible to them, one way or another, 24/7. To me, being a rabbi is not an ordinary job. It is a passion. You must experience a deep love for all of the members of your congregation and do everything you do from the heart, with sincerity and as an empathic and sensitive human being, not as a detached “professional”. I think that this manifests itself in the way I lead and relate to my community and particularly in my involvement with the young professionals.