Yona (Jonathan) Reiss (born 1966 in New York City) is an American rabbi, Torah scholar, attorney, lecturer, and jurist, and the current

Av Beth Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC). From 2008 to 2013 Reiss was the Max and Marion Grill Dean of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (

RIETS Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...

). From 1998 to 2008 he was Director of the

Beth Din of America The Beth Din of America is a Beth Din (Court of Jewish Law) which serves Jews throughout the United States of America as a forum for arbitrating disputes through the din torah process, obtaining Jewish divorces, and confirming Jewish personal status ...

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Education

Reiss attended the

Yeshiva University High School for Boys The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB), MTA (Manhattan Talmudical Academy) or TMSTA, is an Orthodox Jewish day school (or yeshiva) and the boys' prep school of Yeshiva University (YU) ...

in New York. Later, he learned in Yeshivat Shaalvim in Israel before graduating summa cum laude from

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

in 1987 with a BA in philosophy. He received his rabbinic ordination from RIETS (Rabbi Issac Elchanan Theological Seminary) in 1991, where he also earned the distinction of Yadin Yadin later in 2002. He received his J.D. from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

in 1992, and served as a senior editor of the '' Yale Law Journal''.

Career

From 1992 to 1998, Reiss worked as an associate at the international law firm of

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (known as Cleary Gottlieb) is an American multinational law firm headquartered at One Liberty Plaza in New York City. Known as a white shoe law firm, Cleary employs over 1,200 lawyers worldwide. History The ...

in New York City. He maintained an association with the firm until 1999. He is a member of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justic ...

, a certified mediator for the City of New York court system, and a member of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council for New York. In 1999, Reiss joined the Beth Din of America, and a year later assumed the position of Director, a position he served until 2009, when he was appointed the Dean of Rabbi Isaac Elchonon Theological Seminary (RIETS). Reiss serves on the editorial board of ''Tradition'' magazine. A frequent writer on a variety of topics relating to both Jewish and secular law, he has published widely in Jewish publications, as well as in the Wall Street Journal and New York Law Journal. In 2013, Reiss stepped down as Dean at

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

and assumed the position of Rosh Yeshiva. He was succeed by Rabbi Menachem Penner. Since 2013, Reiss serves as the Av Beth Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

Personal life

Reiss and his wife Mindy have five sons and a daughter and live in Chicago, IL. Reiss is the son of Harry Reiss, a

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

town councilman who taught at

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

and

Rockland Community College Rockland Community College (RCC) is a public community college in the town of Ramapo, New York in Rockland County. It is part of the State University of New York. The college, established in 1959, became the 18th community college to join the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reiss, Yona Yeshiva University alumni Yale Law School alumni Yeshiva University faculty 1965 births Living people Orthodox rabbis from New York City Rabbis from Chicago People associated with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton 21st-century American rabbis