MEET THE RABBI
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Ohel Eidot CHeMDaT"A was founded by Rabbi Shais Rishon, Orthodox rabbi, writer, educator, and public intellectual whose work bridges Jewish tradition, racial identity, and contemporary American life.
Born the oldest of five to two African-American Orthodox Jewish parents—his father a convert, and his mother tracing her African-American Jewish heritage back to the late-eighteenth century—he was raised CHaBa"D-Lubavitch in Brooklyn, NY in a family with close ties with leading CHaBa"D rabbi and educator Rabbi J.J. Hecht—not only the assistant and translator of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Shneerson, but also next-door neighbor to the Rishons and sandeq to their younger son.
Rabbi Rishon's work is rooted in classical Jewish texts and halakhic tradition, while speaking directly to the lived realities of modern diasporic Jewish life.
Originally writing under the moniker "MaNishtana", Rabbi Rishon has written and spoken extensively on Jewish diversity, antisemitism, race, and American Jewish identity across academic, communal, and cultural institutions for nearly two decades. His teaching explores the historical presence of Jews of African descent, the ethical and theological demands of confronting racism and antisemitism, and the stakes of pluralism within halakhic Jewish life. Since late 2009, he has spoken at universities, synagogues, Jewish organizations, and international conferences on topics ranging from Jews of Color and communal inclusion to the theological and historical intersections of Black and Jewish thought. His engagements have included BBYO, Limmud (UK and Australia), ROI Summit, ELI Talks, Harvard University, Boston University, Brown University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, the Herzl Leadership Conference, and numerous Jewish federations, community organizations, and congregations across North America, Europe, Australia and Israel. Across these venues, his work has emphasized the historical presence of Jews of African descent, the ethical demands of Jewish tradition in confronting racism and antisemitism, and the theological stakes of diversity within halakhic Jewish life.
In 2014 he was listed as one of The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" most influential American Jews.
His 2018 presentation "What Makes This Jew Different Than All Other Jews? Race, Difference, and Safety in Jewish Spaces" remains the highest viewed ELI Talk, at 73K views.
In January 2020, Rabbi Rishon was a keynote speaker at the No Hate, No Fear march in Brooklyn, which brought together an estimated 25,000 participants in what was likely the largest public demonstration on behalf of Jewish safety in modern American history.
Rabbi Rishon received his first Orthodox rabbinical ordination in 2018, earning a private Orthodox ordination while simultaneously pursuing his CHaBa"D ordination , and he continues advanced rabbinic study. He is a graduate of both James Madison High School in Brooklyn—alma mater of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg—Brooklyn College (B.A., English and Secondary Education) and the author of three books on Jewish and African American identity. His work has appeared in The
in New York Times, New York Magazine, The Jewish Week, The Jerusalem Post, Tachles, D La Repubblica, and other publications. He has contributed to The Jewish Daily Forward, Tablet Magazine, Hevria, The Kveller Haggadah, The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List, and Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.
He has made appearances in numerous documentaries and media projects, including Punk Jews, The New Jew, and Shades of U.S., and the Henry Louis Gates 2026 PBS documentary Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History. His work has been recognized by The Jewish Week, JTA, The Forward, and The Algemeiner, among others. An avid fan of Dungeons & Dragons, he also served as a cultural consultant for the live-play series Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City, Season 2.
He lives with his wife, Tifarah Rishon, and their blended family of daughters. Together, they are committed to building visible, rooted, and halakhically grounded Eidot CHeMDaT"A communal life in the Diaspora.
Rabbi Shais Rishon can be reached at rabbishais@eidotchemdata.org.