Rabbi Avram Mlotek is an unorthodox Orthodox ordained rabbi, educator, and community builder whose work bridges tradition and innovation in contemporary Jewish life.

In 2015, he co-founded Base, a growing network of pluralistic rabbinic couples who transform their homes into centers for hospitality, learning, and service. He served for six years as the inaugural rabbi of Base Manhattan and as the movement’s Director of Spiritual Life (Mashgiach Ruchani), helping shape its vision and impact.

Rabbi Mlotek has been recognized as one of America’s “Most Inspiring Rabbis” by The Forward and named a “leading innovator in Jewish life today” by The New York Jewish Week as part of its ““36 Under 36.” His writing has appeared in major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, JTA, The Forward, Tablet, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, The New York Jewish Week, The Huffington Post and Kveller, among other blogs.

A grandchild of Holocaust refugees, survivors, and noted Yiddish activists, Rabbi Mlotek’s work is deeply rooted in Yiddish culture and memory. His teaching and performance has taken him across the globe, including to China, Ethiopia, Israel, Sweden, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania and Australia. He is co-creator of Amid Falling Walls, a musical developed with his father, Zalmen Mlotek, which features Yiddish Holocaust songs and received the 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue.

Rabbi Mlotek received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a B.A. from Brandeis University, where he studied Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Creative Writing. His additional studies span Talmud (Yeshivat Hadar), cantorial music (Yeshiva University), educational theater (City College), Islamic scriptures (Bergen Community College), and psychoanalysis (Blanton-Peale Institute). He also holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University.

He has served as Rabbi-in-Residence at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, where he directed the Rabbis Within Reach program and produced innovative cultural and spiritual programming, including the widely attended Third Seder, which featured leading Klezmer and Yiddish singers from around the world.

Rabbi Mlotek currently co-directs the Jewish Questions conversion program in New York City. Above all, he is a proud Tati to Ravi, Hillel, and Shabtai.