Rabbi Mark Wildes is the Founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), a highly successful Jewish outreach and educational program engaging unaffiliated Jewish men and women in their 20s & 30s with Judaism and the Jewish community. He is the author of “Beyond the Instant: Jewish Wisdom for Lasting Happiness in a Fast-Paced Social Media World”(Skyhorse Publishing, 2018), “The 40 Day Challenge: Daily Jewish Insights to Prepare for the High Holidays” (Kodesh Press, 2021) and most recently: “The Jewish Experience: Discovering the Soul of Jewish Thought and Practice” (Koren Publishers).
Rabbi Wildes earned a BA in Psychology from Yeshiva University, a Law Degree from the Cardozo School of Law, a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (Yeshiva University).
In its 26 years of existence, MJE has successfully reconnected thousands of previously unaffiliated Jewish men and women with Judaism and the Jewish community, hundreds of whom are today living lives of Torah and Mitzvot, sending their children to Jewish Day Schools. Operating from its three locations in the city, with a talented staff of 15 professionals, MJE’s inspirational Shabbat dinners, beginners services, retreats, educational classes, holiday events and trips to Israel have touched the lives of thousands of young Jews and provided a venue through which 391 Jewish couples have met and married!