Rabbi Joshua Hess

Rabbi Joshua Hess, an LA native, has found his happy home on the East Coast for the last 21 years. In August 2021, he began his tenure as the Rabbi of the Young Israel of East Brunswick. 

Prior to his most recent appointment, Rabbi Hess served as the Rabbi of Anshe Chesed in Linden, NJ, and the DAT Minyan in Denver, CO. He has worked as a Chaplain at St. Barnabas Medical Center, Kindred Hospice, and Elmora Hills Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. 

Rabbi Hess received semicha from Ner Yisrael in Baltimore. He also earned an MA in Pastoral Counseling from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO, and an MA in Jewish History from Yeshiva University.

Rabbi Hess is proud to be an AIPAC Leffell Fellowship Mentor, where he participates in the Pro-Israel Advocacy movement. He is also honored to serve as a board member of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), where he has been recognized as a leader in Jewish-Catholic interfaith work. With IJCIC, Rabbi Hess  has attended Leadership Conferences for Interreligious Dialogue in Connecticut, Berlin, Vilna, and Rome. 

Rabbi Hess is married to his eishet chayil, Naava, who is the lead kindergarten teacher for Hillel Yeshiva in Deal, NJ. They are blessed with four beautiful children: Dani, Akiva, Esti, and Dalia.