Nathaniel Helfgot (born April 30, 1963) is an American rabbi. He leads Congregation Netivot Shalom of

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) fr ...

, and served as president of the International Rabbinic Fellowship.

Early life

Helfgot studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion for two years and later attended

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

, the Azrieli Graduate School, and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he obtained his ''

semikhah Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long ...

'' (rabbinical ordination).

Career

Helfgot is the

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 ...

of Congregation Netivot Shalom, an Orthodox congregation in

.Yudelson, Larry (February 12, 2019
"In NJ, Orthodox Rabbis Vote to Bar a Colleague for Training Female Clergy"
''The Times of Israel''. Retrieved July 2, 2019. He served as president of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. Helfgot has taught at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, the

Frisch School The Frisch School, also known as Yeshivat Frisch , is a coeducational, Modern Orthodox, yeshiva high school located in Paramus, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was founded in 1972 by Rabbi Menachem Meier and Alfred Frisch. ...

, the

Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School The Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School is a private Jewish day school for girls in grades nine through twelve, located in Teaneck, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving the Orthodox communities of Bergen County and neighboring areas. ...

, and the Torah Academy of Bergen County, currently teaching at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and

SAR High School Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School (SAR High School) is an Open Orthodox Jewish day school located in Riverdale, New York City. It was founded in 2003 by Rabbi Naftali (Tully) Harcsztark. The school is affiliated with SAR Academy, which is al ...

, where he is also a department chair. He has served or continues to serve on the steering committee of the Orthodox Forum, as the plenum of the Orthodox Caucus, and on the board of the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools. Helfgot has published articles in various journals such as ''

Tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

'', '' Tehumin'', '' Jewish Action'', Ten-Daat, Beit Yitzchak, '' Megadim'', Alon Shvut, Or HaMizrach, The Orthodox Forum Series, ''

The Jewish Week ''The Jewish Week'' is a weekly independent community newspaper targeted towards the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. ''The Jewish Week'' covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC. In March 2016, ''The Jewish W ...

'', The '' Jewish Standard'', and Hamevaser. In February 2019, a three quarters majority of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County's (RCBC) board voted, after meeting twice, to amend its bylaws in order to remove Helfgot and Netivot Shalom from its affiliation over his hiring of a female rabbinic intern from Yeshivat Maharat. Helfgot, who was present at both meetings and addressed the council, issued a statement both praising the RCBC as an institution and expressing his "disagreement and disappointment" with its decision. The RCBC and Helfgot have since come to an agreement, with him and his synagogue remaining members in good standing with the organization.

Personal life

Helfgot is married to Rachel Brenner.Schwartz, Bracha (May 4, 2017
"Teaneck Students Place in Top Ten at Chidon HaTanach in Jerusalem"
''Jewish Link NJ''. Retrieved August 27, 2019. They have four children.

Published works

* * Helfgot, Nathaniel. ''Divrei Berakah U’Moed: Halakhic Essays on the Topics of Holidays and Blessings''. Yeshivat Har Etzion. * ''Community, Covenant, and Commitment: Selected Letters and Communications of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik'' (). Toras HaRav Foundation. * ''The YCT Companion to the Book of Samuel''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helfgot, Nathaniel 1963 births Living people Rabbis from New Jersey People from Teaneck, New Jersey Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Yeshiva University alumni Yeshivat Har Etzion 21st-century American Jews