MEET

Rabbi Yonatan Yosef Arnon

Inspired by Buber's I-Thou theory, Yonatan strongly believes in hevruta-style learning as a building block to share humanity between people. He has a passion for guiding one's path through questions, conversation, and reflection with text and each other. Yonatan believes in creating accessible entry points into Jewish life with the hope of sharpening one's own sense of belonging and meaning.

How is your spiritual well being? As a spiritual guide and chaplain Rabbi Yonatan is inviting you to also explore spiritual guidance sessions integrating contemplative practices such as meditation, breath work, creative writing and engagement with Jewish texts for hope, meaning-making and spiritual flourishing.

Yonatan, an Israeli native who has worked with diverse global Jewish communities for over 10 years, is currently living in New York City. He has been a Jewish educator for over 15 years and loves to integrate in his teachings meditation, spiritual texts (from diverse faith traditions including Zen and Sufism), pastoral care, spiritual direction, and embodied practices such as breath work and movement techniques.

For the past ten years, Yonatan has served Jewish communities such as Romemu, Lab/Shul, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Navah Tehila, MHWOW and retreatology at Moishe House, JDC Entwine and Kehilat Zion in different capacities. Yonatan currently serves also as a chaplain intern at Rikers Island jail prison, a nursing home and a recovery center. He has also been working in the peacebuilding world for the last 6 years as a dialogue facilitator between Palestinians and Jews, and an entrepreneur of interfaith communities and events both in Israel and NYC.

For the past five years, Yonatan has integrated his spiritual and movement experiences, founding his signature "MoveMeant - Embodying Sacred Texts" workshops: https://www.embodymovemeant.com MoveMeant was founded in 2017 to explore the intersection of Jewish & Spiritual texts, ritual, live music, mindfulness, breath and movement. Yonatan awarded ( 3rd year in a row ) the Be Wise Jewish Entrepreneurialism Fellowship for his signature MoveMeant led over 150 MoveMeant workshops in diverse Jewish settings across the world including: US, Canada, Europe, Israel, South Africa and India alongside world-class musicians and cantorial students from HUC-JIR NYC.

Receiving rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College in May 2023, Yonatan currently holds a joint B.A in Jewish philosophy and Theater from the Hebrew University, a MBA in social entrepreneurship and NPO management from the Morton Mandel Social Leadership Program from Ben Gurion University. Yonatan is an avid biker, hiker, meditator, yogi practitioner and dancer. He also is a student at the Zen Center for Contemplative Care in New York.