Yitzhak Nates

Yitzhak (“Yitz”) became a rabbi, which means teacher, in 2000.  He is a Reconstructionist rabbi, meaning he works on being open to just about everything, as long as people aren’t getting hurt.  His life as a college chaplain began at the end of July 2022, meaning he is excited about meeting students, listening to them, taking walks, cheering them on, supporting their inner lives. 



Alongside his foundation in Judaism, Yitz is a student of A Course in Miracles, which posits that we are all children of a single holiness, all people are our brothers and sisters, and that viewing this very challenging world as a classroom often proves helpful.   “What is the lesson, for me, here and now?” is a question to which he turns often. 



He looks forward to bringing his universal kind of Judaism to our Shabbat practices in particular and Jewish learning in general.  At the same time, Yitz is eager to work with all students and staff alike; learning from all — all the different forms of Judaism, religion, non-religion, and spiritualities he encounters.   A central focus for him currently is the growing number of human beings in our area dealing with food insecurity.