Rabbi Kosak, a native son of New Rochelle, is thrilled to be returning to his hometown after an absence of many years. Rabbi Kosak attended Daniel Webster Elementary School, Albert Leonard Junior High School (now called Albert Leonard Middle School), and New Rochelle High School. He also earned a B.A. in philosophy from New York University before coming down with an extended case of wanderlust, during which he resided in West Virginia, New Mexico, Washington State, and both northern and southern California.

 Prior to training for the rabbinate, he worked in several areas of the food industry. Rabbi Kosak ran his own catering business and helped a college friend to launch Numi, a line of quality kosher organic teas that are currently distributed worldwide. Rabbi Kosak is the scion of a long line of rabbis, including Rabbi Jacob K. Shankman, who was the head rabbi of Temple Israel of New Rochelle for many years.

Rabbi Kosak received his rabbinic ordination from the Ziegler School, the Conservative movement’s seminary on the West Coast that is housed at the University of Judaism in Bel Air, California. He is joined here by his wife, Laura, whom he met at a San Francisco Purim party, and his two sons.