Rabbi Jay H. M.

Vice President

Rabbi Jay H is Vice President of The Wexner Foundation, having served for many years as Director of the Wexner Heritage Program, North America’s premier Jewish leadership education program. He joined the staff of The Wexner Foundation in 2003.

Rabbi Jay got his start in Jewish leadership through NFTY, Reform Judaism’s youth movement. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in English literature, magna cum laude. Having relocated to the territory of arch-rival Ohio State, he still bleeds maize and blue but is keeping quiet about it.

Rabbi Jay pursued rabbinical studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was awarded a Wexner Graduate Fellowship. Ordained in 1997, Rabbi Jay served for five years as Associate Rabbi at Temple Sholom of Chicago. From 2002 to 2003, Rabbi Jay studied Jewish mysticism in Jerusalem where he also taught and mentored rabbinical students at HUC-JIR. He has participated in the Rabbinic Program of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, an intensive study, meditation and retreat program.

Rabbi Jay sits on the board of the Columbus Jewish Day School. He is also on the board of Kavod, a non-profit tzedakah collective and is a member of the B’nai Ya’acov Council of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.

Rabbi Jay has had essays published in four books in the series on High Holiday prayers published by Jewish Lights Publications, as well as in many newspapers and magazines. He also contributed insights on the role of religion in the process of healing from tragedy for Sheryl Sandberg's book Option B. Rabbi Jay serves as the Editor-At-Large of Shabbat: A Day of Rest, a special section of Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global media channel.

Rabbi Jay lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, who serves as the Hazzan at Temple Israel, and their sons. An avid basketball player, he has lost a step taking it to the hole but makes up for it with decent (if streaky) shooting and the craftiness that comes with advancing age.