Yisroel Bernath is an American Hassidic

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 o ...

, actor,

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and podcaster active in Canada. Bernath is spiritual director at Chabad of NDG and the Jewish

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Coined by the '' Montreal Gazette'' as the "Love Rabbi" and the "Hipster Rabbi" by Viceland, he is a well-known matchmaker and relationship coach. He is the subject of the CBC Documentaries ''

Kosher Love ''Kosher Love'' is a 2017 Canadian documentary film of love as understood by Orthodox and Hasidic Jews. The documentary was directed by filmmaker Evan Beloff and aired on the CBC-TV television channel. The film was also entered into Jewish Film Fest ...

'' and its sequel, ''Meet, Pray, Love: Return of the Love Rabbi.''

Education

Bernath received his BA and

Rabbinical Ordination Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

from the Central Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Brooklyn, NY, and his MA in Hebrew Letters from the Yeshiva Gedolah Rabbinical College of Greater Miami. He also has a diploma from Haddasah-Wiso-Canada Research Center for training in Structural Cognitive Modifiability.

Matchmaking

Bernath is the founder of JMontreal.com, a Montreal-based Jewish dating service which later led to the creation of JMatchmaking International. His work had led to over 100 matches. Bernath wrote on love and relationships in his column titled "Dear Rabby" which ran monthly in the ''

Canadian Jewish News The Canadian Jewish News is a non-profit, national, English-language digital-first media organization that serves Canada‘s Jewish community. A national edition of the newspaper was published for 60 years in Toronto. A weekly Montreal edition in ...

'' from August 2017 until April 2020. Bernath continues to share his thoughts on relationships on his podcast, ''The Love Rabbi''.

Film and television

Bernath was the main character in the hit CBC Documentary ''

'', which aired July 23, 2017. The documentary was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and produced and directed by Academy Award winners Frederic Bohbot and

Evan Beloff Evan Beloff is a Canadian film writer, producer, director and production company executive. He is known for Bigfoot's Reflection (2007), Daughters of the Voice (2018) and A People's Soundtrack (2019). 1990s A Montreal native, Evan holds a doubl ...

. In September 2022, Bernath was the focus of a second CBC documentary, a sequel to ''

,'' titled ''Meet, Pray, Love: Return of the Love Rabbi''. In 2016, Bernath appeared on an episode of ''

Dead Set on Life ''Dead Set on Life'' is a Canadian culinary travel television series, which premiered in 2016 on Viceland.

'' with Matty Matheson where Bernath, shows Matty around Montreal's kosher food community. He starred in the documentaries ''Shekinah: The Intimate Life of Hasidic Women'' in 2013 and '' Shekinah Rising'' in 2018. Bernath co-wrote full feature animation ''

Young Abraham ''Young Abraham'' is a CGI animated film portraying the early years of biblical Abraham. Plot The film opens with a portentous observation by King Nimrod's chief stargazer. He witnesses one star consuming four surrounding stars, after which a ...

'', which was released in April 2011. As an actor, he performed in ''The Will: Family Secrets Revealed'' (2010) and Mixed Blessings (2012). Bernath has also appeared on CTV News, Breakfast Television, Global News and Your Morning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernath, Yisroel Living people Canadian rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim Canadian male television actors Jewish Canadian male actors Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis Jewish Canadian writers Year of birth missing (living people)