Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet arrived in the UK in 1991. Having previously served as assistant principle of Oholei Torah Boys School in New York, he assumed the position as Minister of the Richmond Synagogue in Southwest London for two years, while also teaching Advanced Jewish Studies at the Jews Free School. In 1993, at the age of 28, he was offered the position as Rabbi of the Mill Hill Synagogue. His vibrancy and dynamism resulted in a continuous growth of membership, now in excess of 3000 members.
He has a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from University College London. He authors numerous articles for newspapers, magazines and journals. He served as Diary Rabbi to The Guardian newspaper and also writes for the Jewish Chronicle as well as a very popular weekly column in the Jewish Weekly. He has featured in The London Timesas well as Time Magazine International. Rabbi Schochet can often be seen on television including BBC as a regular panellist for The Big Questions as well as CNN.
In 2018, Rabbi Schochet qualified as an accredited mediator and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Hailed as one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world, Rabbi Schochet has lectured in Russia, Australia, South Africa, Israel and all parts of the US and Europe and has been rated top speaker at the National Jewish Retreat in the US for several years running. He was also keynote speaker at the International Chabad Conference in New York in 2019, where he addressed 6000 rabbis and lay leaders. In 2024, Rabbi Schochet was invited as guest speaker for the International Siyum HaRambam, addressing more than 10,000 attendees in Brooklyn NY. His social media videos have several million views.
Rabbi Schochet served on the Chief Rabbi’s Cabinet with the portfolio of “family” and as chairman of the Rabbinical Council in the UK. He is currently the longest serving rabbi in the United Synagogue. He was named by the Jewish Telegraph as one of the ten most influential rabbis in the United Kingdom. The Jewish Chronicle describes him as “one of the most outspoken Rabbis in the world.”
He is also the author of JoyWorks – Jewish Wisdom for a Happy Life, Mosaica Press, due for release in 2026.
He is married with five children and grandchildren.