Ariel Ya’akov Dunat is a fourth-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, enthusiastically serving the CSI Nyack community as the Resnick Rabbinic Intern. They are impassioned about halakha and how it intersects with the multifaceted identities we hold as individuals. In addition to JTS, Ariel is learning hilkhot shechita (the laws of kosher slaughter) with the goal of receiving certification during the summer of 2024. They approach this with a concern for high ethical standards as well as increasing sustainability in the kosher world. Ariel has been greatly involved with Svara’s Trans Halakha Project over the past several years, serving on their Steering Committee as well as having authored a teshuva (legal responsum) on the topic of transness, circumcision, and conversion. 

Ariel grew up in suburban Ohio, receiving their undergrad degrees in French as well as Comparative Religious Studies. Having grown up in a secular, agnostic home, they have been on a lifelong journey of learning and faith toward the rabbinate and are excited to see where their path takes them. 

Ariel lives with their husband, Jason, and their shih tzu, Jacques, in Washington Heights.