Leonard A. Matanky (born October 26, 1958) is a prolific

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and Jewish leader in the United States. Based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Matanky is the rabbi of Congregation K.I.N.S of West Rogers Park. and Dean of

Ida Crown Jewish Academy Ida Crown Jewish Academy is a Modern Orthodox Jewish high school in Skokie, Illinois, under the auspicies of the Associated Talmud Torahs. Its current dean is Leonard Matanky. ICJA places emphasis on both Judaic and Secular studies and holds ...

and past president of the

Rabbinical Council of America The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). ...

and the

Religious Zionists of America The Religious Zionists of America (Hebrew official name: Religious Zionists of America/Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi, also known as Mizrachi, is an American-based organization that is the official body for those, mostly Modern Orthodox Jews who id ...

,. He has written extensively on curriculum issues.

Biography

Matanky was born in Chicago in 1958. In 1978 he wrote ''Shabbat Games - Games for Youth Groups'', published as a joint venture between American Zionist Youth Foundation Inc. and Bnei Akiva. In 1981, he received

rabbinical ordination ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal Oral Torah#Rabbinic thought, "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' cease ...

and a master's degree in Religious Education from

Hebrew Theological College The Hebrew Theological College, known colloquially as "Skokie Yeshiva" or HTC, is a yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois. Although the school's primary focus is the teaching of Torah and Jewish tradition, it is also a private university that is part of ...

. That year, he began teaching Judaic studies at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, a coeducational Modern Orthodox high school in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago, IL. Matanky subsequently earned a master's degree in Educational Administration from

Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola University may refer to: Democratic Republic of the Congo *Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo Spain * Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...

in 1982, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1989. In 1994 he assumed the pulpit of Congregation K.I.N.S. in Chicago's

West Rogers Park West Ridge is one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is a middle-class neighborhood located on the far North Side of the City of Chicago. It is located in the 50th ward and the 40th ward. Today West Ridge is one of Chicago's better off communi ...

neighborhood. He was appointed Interim Dean of ICJA in 1996; he would later drop the "interim" title and become the Dean. From 2013 and until 2015 he served as President of the

. He had previously served as Vice-President of the RCA under Rabbi Shmuel Goldin. From 2017 to 2023 Rabbi Matanky served as co-President of Religious Zionists of America/Mizrachi. Prior to that he served two terms as president of the

Chicago Rabbinical Council The Chicago Rabbinical Council (or cRc) is the largest regional Orthodox rabbinical organization in America, located in Chicago, Illinois. The cRc is a non-profit offering a wide variety of Jewish services, including kosher product supervision an ...

. Rabbi Matanky is on the boards of World Mizrachi, the Expanded Executive of the

World Zionist Organization The World Zionist Organization (; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the Zionist Organization (ZO; 1897–1960) at the initiative of Theodor Herzl at the F ...

, the Religious Zionists of Chicago and Camp Moshava. He was the co-Chairman of the Rabbinic Action Committee of the

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago The Jewish United Fund of Chicago (JUF) is the central philanthropic address of Chicago's Jewish community and one of the largest not-for-profit social welfare institutions in Illinois. JUF provides critical resources that bring food, refuge, he ...

for more than a decade (until 2023) and serves on the rabbinic advisory committee of the YU ''Torah MiTzion'' Kollel of Chicago.

Family

Matanky is married to Margaret Novick, with whom he has three sons and four daughters. His eldest child, Yaakov, died in a car accident in 2002 near Camp Moshava Wild Rose. The outdoor synagogue at the camp "Beit Yaakov Levi" was named in his memory.

Recent Publications

Author, "Missions": The First 100 Days of the Gaza War" (2024

Co-Editor, HaMadrikh: The RCA Lifecycle Guide (2023) Contributor, Praying for the Defenders of Our Destiny: The Mi Sheberach for IDF Soldiers (2023) by Aviad Hacohen (Author), Menachem Butler (Editor) Co-Author
“Ida Crown Jewish Academy’s 21st Century Campus”
in Jewish Educational Leadership, Winter 2020 Editor, Koren Shiva House Siddur (2019) Associate Editor, “Siddur Avodat HaLev” – the prayer book of the Rabbinical Council of America (2018) Author, “To Represent and to Inspire: The Role of a Sheliaĥ Tzibbur,” in Ennoble and Enable: Essays in Honor of Richard M. Joel (2018)

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matanky, Leonard A. 1958 births Living people American Orthodox rabbis Modern Orthodox rabbis Rabbis from Chicago 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis