Who I Am
I'm a rabbi, a certified youth life coach, and a mentor. For 25 years, I've been working with young men—teaching them, learning with them, and helping them navigate the challenges of growing up.
I've taught in Jewish high schools, worked at the Hillel of a major university, tutored and mentored teens one-on-one, and guided a wide variety of young men through major life decisions and transitions. I've seen what works and what doesn't when it comes to helping young men find their footing and build meaningful lives.
I hold rabbinic ordination from Bat Ayin Yeshiva and certification as a youth life coach from the Youth Coaching Institute.
Why I Do This Work
I grew up without much connection to authentic Jewish life. My bar mitzvah was terribly irrelevant—a performance that meant nothing to me. Years later, when I had the opportunity to reflect, I realized what solid, engaged mentorship could have given me at that time. It became clear to me that we need to offer our young men something of substance.
In college, I had a transformational experience that changed everything—I discovered that Jewish wisdom, texts, and practice could speak directly to my life in ways I'd never imagined.
I spent years building a Jewish life that was true to tradition but genuinely mine — not imitation, not performed, but real. That work continues today.
I know what it's like to feel disconnected and to wonder if any of this matters. I also know what it's like to discover that it does—deeply. That experience shapes everything I do with young men.
My Approach
I'm real. I don't pretend to have all the answers. I share what I've learned from Jewish tradition and from life, and I help young men figure out how it applies to them.
I see the good. Most struggling young men have been told what's wrong with them too many times. I start from a different place—I look for what's strong, what's authentic, what wants to grow.
I don't coddle. Real mentorship means telling the truth, even when it's uncomfortable. I hold young men accountable. I challenge them. But I do it with patience and without judgment.
I make Judaism relevant. I know how to help young men engage with Jewish wisdom in ways that feel real and useful—not because I'm forcing observance, but because I've spent decades discovering how Jewish tradition speaks to the questions that matter.
What I Believe About Young Men
Young men want to matter. They want to be seen. They want to build something real with their lives.
When they're struggling, it's usually not because they're lazy or bad—it's because they haven't been given the tools, the guidance, or the framework to channel their energy and potential in meaningful directions.
When they're doing well but hungry for more, it's because they sense there's depth and wisdom available that the usual structures aren't providing.
Either way, what they need is someone who gets it—someone who can meet them where they are, speak their language, see their potential, and help them build the foundations of mature, responsible Jewish manhood.
That's what I do.
Beyond Mentoring
I'm 50 years old. I'm a husband and a father. I live a life grounded in Jewish practice and learning, saturated with creativity and joy, and I'm constantly working on growing and refining myself—the same work I ask of the young men I mentor.
When I'm not teaching or mentoring, I'm hanging out with my family, writing, playing guitar, exercising, reading, listening to music. I also learn Torah a lot—because I love it. I stay engaged with the questions and challenges that make life meaningful.