Rabbi Yehuda Septimus became the mora d’atrah of the Young Israel of North Woodmere in September 2008.  Since moving in at that time, he has quickly made North Woodmere his home, along with his wife Lisa, who teaches limudei kodesh (Jewish studies)at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, and their children, Lea, Avi, and Dalya.

Rabbi Septimus received his semikhah as well as a Bachelors degree in English literature from Yeshiva University and his PhD in classical Jewish history and literature from Yale University. He spent three years of intensive Torah study at Yeshivat Har Etzion, and he also studied psychology extensively and worked as a fellow at the Center for Psychotherapy Research at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rabbi Septimus began his rabbinic career at the Riverdale Jewish Center, where he served as an intern for a year and an assistant rabbi with Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt for three years.   His communal work includes his roles as co-founder of the high school leadership program Eimatai, counselor at Camp Simchah, and communal educator at the Yeshiva of Capetown.  Rabbi Septimus has lectured at numerous synagogues and adult learning programs and held positions as a teaching fellow and an instructor at Yale University.

In addition to his role as rabbi of Young Israel of North Woodmere, Rabbi Septimus served last year as the Gruss Scholar in Residence at the New York University School of Law and is serving this year as the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University.