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Rabbi Evon Yakar moved to South Lake Tahoe with his wife Rachel and their dog Sasha during the summer of 2011.  He became the second rabbi of Temple Bat Yam:  The Jewish Community of South Lake Tahoe and Valley Regions.  In July of 2012, they welcomed their first child, Caleb, to their family and in September of 2015, their second son, Jonah, was born.  As a family of four, plus Sasha their goldendoodle, they enjoy the mountain lifestyle whether playing in the snow, or enjoying the Lake.  In July of 2017, Rabbi Yakar engaged as the rabbi of North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation in Tahoe Vista, CA.  This joint effort of both Tahoe congregations brings together the Lake Tahoe Basin Jewish Community.

In addition to serving the Lake Tahoe Jewish Community, Rabbi Yakar has been part of the team at Adventure Rabbi:  Synagogue w/o Walls, working with B’nai Mitzvah students, wedding couples, conversion students and those seeking to integrate Judaism with a taste of adventure.  During the summer of 2016, Rabbi Yakar joined the newly founded Tawonga B’nai Mitzvah program, which is part of the Camp Tawonga program offerings.  In this role, he served as the rabbi in residence for the retreat component of the program and serves as one of the officiants helping families celebrate their simcha - celebration. 

Previous to his current positions, Rabbi Yakar joined the clergy at Temple Chai in Phoenix in July 2007.  He grew up throughout the northern Midwest attending high school in the suburbs of Detroit and he lived in Minneapolis and Chicago before high school. Many of his summers were spent at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI) in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, a Union for Reform Judaism summer camp.  OSRUI is a special place for many reasons, but high on the list is that it is the place where he met his wife Rachel. Evon earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2001 where he studied Hebrew and Semitic Studies and Biological Aspects of Conservation. 

Evon was ordained as a Rabbi in June 2007 from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also earned his Master of Hebrew Letters degree. He received awards for the highest academic standing in his class and for the most significant academic improvement during his tenure at HUC. During his time in Cincinnati, Evon studied in a joint program between HUC-JIR and Xavier University to earn a Masters in Education and Administration. During Rabbinical school, Evon served student pulpits and internships in Billings, Montana, Sylvania, Ohio, Skokie, Illinois, and Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition, he served as a youth programs intern for the Department of Youth Programs at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati. 

During Rabbi Yakar’s first ten years serving Temple Bat Yam, he worked to create meaningful holiday events, adult and youth learning and wonderful social events.  Our synagogue communities work to provide a broad spectrum of Jewish life and practice to the Shores of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area.  Together with Rabbi Yakar, we are meeting that goal and will continue to work in sacred partnership.  Outside of Temple life, Rabbi Yakar serves in various volunteer capacities as a member of the Advisory Council of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless, part of the program team for the Boys Empowerment Program of Live Violence Free, as a member of the Leadership Lake Tahoe Task Force (a program of the Tahoe Chamber), as a member and later chair of the Tahoe Chamber’s Candidate Endorsement Committee, and as a member of Barton Memorial Hospital’s COVID Bioethics Team.  

He is passionate about sharing Judaism with the families of our Temple Bat Yam and North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation communities and looks forward to the exciting years ahead in his rabbinate.  Rabbi Yakar enjoys many recreational activities that our natural surroundings provide, from skiing, hiking and cycling to water sports and playing ice hockey - Evon and  his family enjoy them all.  Together with Rachel, their sons Caleb and Jonah and of course their beloved new(ish) puppy Solstice (Soli), they look forward to sharing Judaism with the members and guests of TBY and NTHC into the future.

Rabbi Lauren Ben-Shoshan