Our Rabbi

The JCAB has engaged Rabbi Mordy Prus to be our Rabbi through June, 2019. He will assume the roles and responsibilities of Rabbi, complemented by Rabbis Willig and Black who will alternate spending Shabbos at The JCAB with Rabbi Prus every third week through next June.

Rabbi Prus is a familiar face at The JCAB, having spent several weeks at our shul in an associate rabbinic role in 2016. Rabbi Prus received his ordination from RIETS of Yeshiva University, and was a rabbinic intern at The Riverdale Jewish Center. A speech and language pathologist, Rabbi Prus is also a partner and performer of the Maccabeats. We heartily welcome Rabbi Prus, his wife Temima and their three children to our community!    

Rabbi Simcha Willig, who joined the JCAB rabbinic team in 2013, is an instructor in Yeshiva University’s James Striar School where he teaches courses in Jewish Ethics, Jewish Philosophy, Rabbinic Judaism, and Biblical themes. He is also on the Judaic Studies faculty at the Frisch School and Westchester Hebrew High School. Rabbi Willig received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and he received a masters in secondary education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. In the Fall of 2016 he earned his doctorate from NYU in Education and Jewish Studies. Formerly Rabbi Willig was an assistant rabbi at Young Israel of Scarsdale and was an informal educator in youth groups, public high schools, and summer camps throughout North America, Israel, and South Africa. He is married to Sari (Stein) Willig and they reside with their young children in Bergenfield New Jersey. Rabbi Willig enjoys bowling and he plays tennis, basketball, and the guitar.

Rabbi Gideon Black is the Director of Professional Recruitment and Leadership Development for OU-JLIC. He previously he served as the OU-JLIC Rabbi at New York University's Bronfman Center from 2011 to 2015. Gideon was born and raised in the UK and moved to New York in 2007 to pursue semicha at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He began his academic career at the London School of Economics after which he received his law degree from University College London. Gideon has an MA in Jewish Philosophy from YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School and recently completed the Developing Leaders Program at Columbia Business School. As part of his rabbinic training, Gideon worked in Charleston, SC and served as a rabbinic intern at Manhattan Jewish Experience and the Riverdale Jewish Center. In Israel, Gideon studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and YU's Gruss Kollel. Gideon is married to Aliza, a Physician Assistant, and they are the proud parents of Judah, Natan and Maya.