Yisroel Bernath

Yisroel Bernath
Born
Skokie, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)Rabbi, actor, screenwriter, podcaster
OrganizationChabad-Lubavitch
Spouse
Sara Dorfman
​
(m. 2005)​
Children5
Websitetheloverabbi.com

Yisroel Bernath is an American Hassidic rabbi, actor, screenwriter[1] and podcaster active in Canada. Bernath is spiritual director at Chabad of NDG and the Jewish Chaplain at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[2] Coined by the Montreal Gazette as the "Love Rabbi"[3] and the "Hipster Rabbi" by Viceland,[4] he is a well-known matchmaker and relationship coach. He is the subject of the CBC Documentaries Kosher Love[5] and its sequel, Meet, Pray, Love: Return of the Love Rabbi.[6]

Education

Bernath received his BA and Rabbinical Ordination from the Central Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Brooklyn, New York, and his MA in Hebrew Letters from the Yeshiva Gedolah Rabbinical College of Greater Miami.[7] He also has a diploma from Haddasah-Wiso-Canada Research Center for training in Structural Cognitive Modifiability.[8]

Matchmaking

Bernath is the founder of JMontreal.com,[9][10] a Montreal-based Jewish dating service which later led to the creation of JMatchmaking International.[11] His work had led to over 100 matches.[12]

Bernath wrote on love and relationships in his column titled "Dear Rabby" which ran monthly in the Canadian Jewish News from August 2017 until April 2020.[13] Bernath continues to share his thoughts on relationships on his podcast, The Love Rabbi.[14]

Film and television

Bernath was the main character in the hit CBC Documentary Kosher Love, which aired July 23, 2017.[15] The documentary was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award[16] and produced and directed by Academy Award winners Frederic Bohbot and Evan Beloff.[17] In September 2022, Bernath was the focus of a second CBC documentary, a sequel to Kosher Love, titled Meet, Pray, Love: Return of the Love Rabbi.[6][18]

In 2016, Bernath appeared on an episode of Dead Set on Life with Matty Matheson where Bernath, shows Matty around Montreal's kosher food community.[19]

He starred in the documentaries Shekinah: The Intimate Life of Hasidic Women in 2013[20] and Shekinah Rising in 2018.[21]

Bernath co-wrote full feature animation Young Abraham, which was released in April 2011.[22][23] As an actor, he performed in The Will: Family Secrets Revealed (2010)[24] and Mixed Blessings (2012).

Bernath has also appeared on CTV News, Breakfast Television, Global News and Your Morning.

References

  1. ^ "Yisroel Bernath". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  2. ^ "Spiritual Director". www.jewishndg.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  3. ^ "Love Rabbi makes marriage work in Kosher Love, a documentary about Jewish matchmaking". montrealgazette. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  4. ^ "Matty Matheson Eats Kosher with Montreal's Hipster Rabbi". www.vice.com. December 2016. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  5. ^ Beloff, Evan (2017-02-16), Kosher Love (Documentary, Short), Yisroel Bernath, Bunbury Films, retrieved 2020-12-31
  6. ^ a b "The Jewish Nomad: A documentary sequel starring the Love Rabbi explores Jewish matchmaking in a dangerous time". The Canadian Jewish News. 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  7. ^ "About Rabbi Bernath". The Love Rabbi. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  8. ^ "Spiritual Director". www.jewishndg.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  9. ^ "Rabbis Play Matchmakers On New Jewish Dating Sites". HuffPost. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  10. ^ "Chabad starts online Jewish dating sites". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  11. ^ "Top Ten Dating Tips From the 'Love Rabbi'". CBC Docs. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  12. ^ "Matchmaker & Rabbi Yisroel Bernath". www.jmontreal.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  13. ^ "Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, Author at The Canadian Jewish News". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  14. ^ "The Love Rabbi on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  15. ^ Beloff, Evan (2017-02-16), Kosher Love (Documentary, Short), Yisroel Bernath, Bunbury Films, retrieved 2020-12-31
  16. ^ Staff, C. J. N. (2018-01-16). "Kosher Love doc nominated for Screen Award". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  17. ^ Adler, Jordan (2017-02-15). "Kosher Love looks at contemporary dating culture and religious values". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  18. ^ "Return of the Love Rabbi: Netflix has already expressed interested in a reality show based on new Montreal film". The Suburban Newspaper. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  19. ^ Cheel, Jay (2016-12-01), Kosher Montreal (Reality-TV), Yisroel Bernath, Matty Matheson, retrieved 2020-12-31
  20. ^ Ghert-Z, Renee. "New documentary opens a hermetically closed world". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  21. ^ Neidik, Abbey Jack, Shekinah Rising (Documentary), Chaya Mushka Stern, Solline Abenhaim-Feld, Rose Adelson, Rabbi Bernath, DLI Productions, retrieved 2020-12-31
  22. ^ Shaffer, Todd (2011-01-04), Young Abraham (Animation), Pichas Blitt, John Busby, Pascal Colpron, Burtt Harris, Big Bang Digital Studios, retrieved 2020-12-31
  23. ^ "Animated Avraham stars in hasidic-produced film". The Jewish Star. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  24. ^ The Will: Family Secrets Revealed (Reality-TV), Brian Degrace, Jean-Francois Hamelin, Letitia Brookes, Jaa Smith-Johnson, 2010-11-03, retrieved 2020-12-31{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)