About Us

Moontower

[moon-tou-er]

noun; Texan

A 165-foot-tall tower that supports outdoor lighting for parts of Austin, Texas. Thirty-one of these metal giants were erected in 1895 using electricity from Austin’s first power plant on the Colorado River. There are 17 moontowers still in use today.

Minyan

[min-yuhn]

noun; Ashkenazic Hebrew

A gaggle of ten who come together for the purpose of connecting to something greater than themselves. And who seek to share that with anyone who wants to participate.

What We Believe

We believe that we can deepen and sanctify our lives through engaging with Jewish faith traditions: Torah, Sabbath rituals, communal milestones to mark joy and loss, and the passage of time. We believe that helping others access this ancient wisdom can transform our own lives, and the world around us. We believe in the right to discuss everything in a curious and uncensored way, so long as everyone abides by the principles of respect and decency. We believe that this life matters, that we are each here for a unique purpose, and that we can guide each other along in this journey by lighting the path.

Rabbi Dan

Rabbi and Founder

Rabbi Dan finds holiness through honest conversation, creating space where people can speak freely and exchange challenging ideas within the context of Jewish community, tradition and ritual.

After his ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Dan served as the rabbi of The New Shul in Manhattan, and was Director of Tradition and Innovation at New York’s 92nd St. Y. He founded the Brooklyn based organization Because Jewish and served as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco from 2018-2022, when he relocated to Austin.

Alana Joblin Ain

President and Co-Founder

Writer and teacher, Alana’s work has appeared in Rattle, Quarterly West, Tablet, The Forward, The New York Times, Modern Loss, Crab Orchard Review, Dossier, and in the anthology Mothering Through the Darkness,

Alana has taught undergraduate writing at Hunter College, where she earned her MFA in poetry, and has also led writing workshops within organizational and private settings.

In addition, she co-founded the Brooklyn based organization Because Jewish and currently lives in Austin, Texas with Dan and their two children.

Alana leads Moontower Verses, our monthly literary series featuring writers on what it means to be human and alive.