BIO Gabor Fináli

Gabriel Fináli is a Neolog rabbi from Budapest, Hungary. Born in 1977, he grew up during the era of the Iron Curtain and witnessed the political transformation that reshaped Eastern Europe as he reached adulthood. His personal search for meaning mirrored that of a whole region redefining its identity.

In the 1990s he lived in Israel and the United States, a decade of optimism and openness for both countries. During that time, he became an observant Jew, but later grew critical of orthodoxy and chose the Neolog path — a moderate reform movement that seeks to understand Jewish sources in their historical context while maintaining recognizable traditions and rituals.

For more than twenty years he has served as a religious leader, and for almost a decade as an ordained rabbi. He has written many articles, questioned taboos, and engaged in debates on faith and modern life. He has worked with youth, taught in schools, and prefers informal settings to share Jewish wisdom.

Active in interfaith dialogue, he also leads a music band through which he reaches people who might never attend a synagogue. He lives in Budapest with his family, near his community’s synagogue, Ohel Avraham — the Tent of Abraham.