Spiritual Guidance & Chaplaincy
Drawing from a wide range of Jewish and Eastern thought and practices, I offer holistic spiritual accompaniment. Through practices such as breathwork, meditation, visual guidance, creative writing and movement, Zen exercises, prayer, poetry, and ancestral and spiritual texts. I will help you realign with your values and cultivate self-compassion and presence as we reflect and bear witness to the intuitive formation of your being and becoming. I believe in lifelong learning and in creating accessible entry points into your spiritual life with the hope of sharpening your own sense of belonging and meaning within your relationships, community, and spiritual inclination/tradition.
Over the past two years I served as a chaplain and a spiritual guide, providing ongoing pastoral care and spiritual accompaniment to diverse populations including incarcerated people at Rikers’ Island. I also served over a hundred senior healthcare patients facing acute disease, chronic illness, dementia and end-of-life care needs, as well as patients in recovery from substance abuse, sexual addictions, and alcoholism.
My Experience
Chaplain Resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital, 2023-Present
Spiritual Guide at Rikers Island Jail, 2021-Present
Graduate of the Annual Foundations of Zen in contemplative care at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, 2022-2023
TESTIMONIALS:
Rabbi Yonatan is passionate about caring for people in distress.
I have worked closely with Yonatan and can attest to his facility with providing spiritual care. He brings a unique combination of spiritual arts to his care, including movement, meditation, mindfulness and accompaniment.
He has experience working with people of different faiths and different ages in their journeys with illness and in the process of dying. His deep understanding of spiritual longing infuses his work.
Rabbi Mychal Springer, ACPE Certified Educator
Rabbi Yonatan's passion and dedication to those who are incarcerated and awaiting trial has led him to continue visiting individuals exploring Judaism in our jails for over 2 years and providing them with important pastoral and spiritual support in this difficult environment.
His gentle manner and listening ear has provided a sense of calm and caring to many in need.
Rabbi Gabriel N. Kretzmer Seed, Jewish/Administrative Chaplain, NYC Department of Correction
Rikers Island, NY
Yonatan is a gifted, intuitive, compassionate spiritual guide, able to draw on Judaism, Buddhism and contemplative practices and fluent in the language of the heart and the emotions.
Rabbi Michael Ramberg, Jewish Student Advisor
and Interfaith Center Co-Director, Swarthmore College
Yonatan brings a spirit of gentleness and open-hearted presence that beautifully balances his orderliness and professionalism. His multifaceted background allows him to connect with a diversity of individuals as he brings his “ministry of presence” to invite his clients to share vulnerably, explore deep questions around meaning-making, and dream into their future selves. Yonatan not only helps people see the light within themselves, but he has the gifts and skills to ignite their understanding of their own path forward. I highly recommend Yonatan as a spiritual guide and educator, chaplain, ritual facilitator, and conflict mediator. He brings structure, balance, dedication and compassion to each space he enters.
Alex Soran
“With Yonatan, I discovered my inner Torah ( Wisdom). Weekly, we incorporated meditation, movement and prayer into our spiritual counseling sessions. As a woman in recovery, I felt supported and listened to as we nurtured my desire to spontaneously pray without censorship. “
L. from Florida, US