Rabbi Yonah Hain

Yonah Hain  is our Campus Rabbi and serves as a member of the Columbia University Office of Religious Life. He helps shape Jewish life on campus through relationships with students, university faculty and administration, and by overseeing our educational, religious and interfaith initiatives. He is the creator of our J&Y series, which reflects his passion about the Jewish interpretive tradition alongside his concern for personalized experiences for each individual student.

Rabbi Hain is faculty for the Shalom Hartman Institute and at YCT Rabbinical School. He is also a recurring contributor to the TEXTing podcast, and he has developed educational series for both the Drisha Institute and Hadar. In spring 2024, he finished his coursework towards a doctorate in Talmud and Rabbinics. 

Yonah started at Columbia/Barnard Hillel in 2007, and coupled with his previous work at NYU’s Bronfman Center, he has been a New York City campus rabbi for eighteen years.

“I am eager to meet and to connect with each student; no conversation topic is too mundane or too abstract- from Jewish text and tradition to daily university life. Just book a time that works for you here and stop by. Lastly, I look forward to introducing you to my family – my better half, Elana, and our sons, Azzan and Navon!”