Rav Elijah Kirshner, the esteemed elderly rabbi of the Kirshner sect. He has two sons: the brilliant, rebellious Jeremy, a college professor, and the quiet, dutiful Isaiah, who eventually succeeds his father as the Rav of the Kirshner sect. Isaiah is married to Rachel, a bright but rigid woman who acts as the power behind the throne, and they have one son. The character is loosely based on Rabbi Dr. Joseph Breuer who, like his fictional counterpart, spent summers in Tannersville and lead the German Jewish community of Washington Heights until his death in 1980.