Eliezer Zobin
British Orthodox rabbi and dayan
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Eliezer Zobin is a British Orthodox rabbi who serves as a dayan, a rabbinic judge, of the London Beth Din, a community rabbi of a Modern Orthodox community in Hendon, and is a rabbinic advisor to numerous UK Jewish community organisations and charities.[1]
Dayan, London Beth Din
Dayan Eliezer Zobin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupations | Senior Rabbi, Ner Yisrael Community Dayan, London Beth Din |
| Movement | Orthodox Judaism |
Biography
Eliezer Zobin grew up in Golders Green, London, and attended Menorah Primary School and Hasmonean High School.[2] In 1993, as a 17-year old, he achieved the highest mark for economics in the country, and was awarded the Shell Prize for excellence in A-levels.[3][4][5]
Zobin holds an MA in Jewish Education from the University of London as well as a Teaching Qualification.[6]
He is married, with four children and one grandchild.[7]
Rabbinic and pastoral roles
From 2014-2023, Zobin served as Principal at Immanuel College, a private, co-educational Jewish day school in Bushey, Hertfordshire.[8][9][10] The school was established by the then Chief Rabbi Lord Jakobovits in 1990, to educate and equipped students with Orthodox Jewish values whilst providing a strong secular education. In this role, Zobin showed a broad and sensitive understanding of contemporary issues facing Jewish youth.[11][12][13]
In 2014, Zobin joined the Ner Yisrael community in Hendon as associate rabbi. The synagogue is possibly the largest Modern Orthodox community in Europe. In this role, he delivered regular, "clear, relevant and well prepared" shiurim, managed educational and social events, and provided pastoral care and halachic guidance primarily for the youth, singles and young families. In 2018, Zobin was appointed senior rabbi, succeeding Rabbi Alan Kimche.[14][15] Zobin remains in this role, delivering regular talks and lectures on Tanach, Talmud, Jewish history and philosophy, running heritage trips, and offering halachic advice and pastoral care.[16][17][18]
In February 2026, in a joint initiative with the Rabbinic Training Academy, Ner Yisrael appointed a Rabbinic intern couple, who are to be mentored and guided by Dayan and Rebbetzin Zobin.[19] The community are believed to be the first in the UK to have a created such a role.[20]
In February 2023, Zobin was appointed as one of five dayanim (rabbinic judges) of the London Beth Din,[21] reportedly recognised for his expertise in Jewish law and his experience within the UK's Modern Orthodox communities.[22][23][24][25] Zobin was reported to have “impressed the recruitment committee with his expertise in Pesak Halacha (pronouncing religious decisions on nuanced halachic questions) and his substantial experience in the rabbinate.”[26] Michael Goldstein, President of the United Synagogue, also welcomed his appointment.[27] As a Dayan, Zobin liaises closely with Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE. Over more than a decade beforehand, Dayan Zobin had built a rapport with many of the senior halachic authorities in the UK, past and present, taking advice and counsel.[28] Zobin is widely considered an expert in the compassionate application of Halachah and with experience in addressing mental health issues with sensitivity and human understanding.[29]
Dayan Zobin serves as a senior rabbinic advisor to several UK Jewish charities, dealing with health, mental health, and education, and also is the senior rabbinic advisor to a community-run ambulance service.[30][31][32] Zobin is the Rabbinic Patron of The British Association of Orthodox Jewish Mental Health Professionals. He serves as the Rabbinic Patron of Chana, a leading fertility support organisation for the Jewish community in the UK.[33] He is Rabbi of the Modern Orthodox Sinai Youth Movement. Zobin also serves as the Halachic Authority for Camp Simcha, a UK support charity for families of seriously ill children;[34] the Rabbinical Supervisor for the Youth Platoon, a mental health charity offering support to teenagers,[35] and is on the Rabbinical Advisory Council for J-Teen, a charity dedicated to young people's mental health.[36] Previously, Zobin volunteered for Drugsline, an addiction support charity, which was in operation from 1983-2012, an experience which open his eyes constructively to issues of substance abuse and mental health.[37]
Dayan Zobin is said to offer rabbinic, educational, and pastoral advice widely across in the UK Jewish community, including at United Synagogues, JLE, SEED, and more, and is involved in educational activities, including women's Jewish learning initiatives, across the UK.[38][39][40]
Dayan Zobin has served Rosh Beit Ha'Midrash, head of the study programme, at LSJS, a Modern Orthodox adult Jewish learning centre[41] and has taught on the Montefiore College Semicha programme. Zobin has lectured and guided future rabbinic couples at London's Rabbinic Training Academy.[42] Dayan Zobin is the Principal of the Modern Orthodox co-educational Independent Jewish Day School in Hendon, northwest London.[43] Zobin teaches at the Evening Beis, a Jewish Studies institution based in Hendon, northwest London, providing high-level Torah study to university students and young professionals. Previously, Zobin taught Talmud at the institution, delivering lectures presenting a conceptual, crystalised understanding of Jewish law.[44] Currently, he hosts a popular in-depth Q&A session on Thursday evenings, exploring topics of Jewish philosophy and contemporary Orthodox life, navigating issues of faith and science, modernity, theodicy, current affairs, and Jewish tradition in light of academic study, utilising the whole spectrum of classic Jewish thought.[45] In 2015, Zobin was also a founding rabbi of the Federation of Synagogues ShailaText service, providing anonymous, instant and sensitive answers for those seeking advice on a whole array of halachic questions.[46] Zobin continues to talk regularly, particularly on current, debated issues affecting Jewish life today.[47] [48]
Leadership and views
In 2014, Rabbi Zobin contributed to a collection of scholarly essays honouring the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks upon his retirement, writing on "the definition of education in Jewish law."[49]
In November 2020, Dayan Zobin hosted a talk with Rahima Mahmut, UK director for the World Uyghur Congress, seeking to raise awareness of the Persecution of Uyghurs in China amongst the UK Jewish community, reportedly one of the first Jewish communities to do so.[50]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zobin was reported to have urged members of Jewish communities in north-west London to comply with government public-health guidance, including social-distancing regulations.[51][52]
Dayan Zobin has regularly featured on YouTube interviews for J-TV, on topics such as modern Jewish identity, Judaism and AI, Religious Responses to Covid-19, Morality, balancing Jewish and Secular Values, and more.[53][54][55][56] In July 2025, he was a guest on J-Teen's podcast, a Jewish community mental health charity, discussing "Emotional Crisis & Halacha".[57]
In a May 2025 news interview, Dayan Zobin condemned antisemitism on university campuses.[58]
Dayan Zobin contributed to the 2022 essay collection Strauss, Spinoza & Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith. The book received a favourable reception by academic reviewers, and has been regarded as an important contribution in contemporary discourse around faith, philosophy and modernity.[59][60][61][62][63][64] Reviewers have commended Zobin's "bold" use of modern subjectivism in advocating for Orthodox Judaism.[65][66][67]