Rabbi Samantha Natov
(She, her, hers)
Associate Rabbi
Email: snatov@swfs.org
Office: (212) 877-4050, ext. 244
Rabbi Samantha Natov grew up in Dundas, Ontario. She holds a bachelor’s from McGill University and a master’s in musicology and ethnomusicology from the University of Virginia. Following her time as a cantorial soloist in Toronto, Rabbi Natov came to New York to earn her degree in sacred music from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After working as a cantor at congregations in New Jersey and Brooklyn, she decided to become a rabbi. Rabbi Natov was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2015 and joined Stephen Wise Free Synagogue a few months later in July 2015.
As associate rabbi at Stephen Wise, she oversees the congregation’s adult education programming and social justice work.
Watch Sermons
Breaking Negative Cycles
Sometimes anxiety amplifies our worries and we get caught in negative thought loops “that spin on and on,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “What does Judaism teach us about breaking these cycles?” she asks and answers…
A Sacred Call
Throughout the stories of Exodus that re revisit again and again and in this week’s parashah, we find a sacred call to answer, says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “What are we being called to do? Who needs our help? What internal spark are we ignoring?” Each of us must interpret God’s call — and determine our response…
Leap of Faith
Taking a leap of faith is challenging for humans, acknowledges Rabbi Samantha Natov. But “if we waited to understand before acting, we might never take a step,” she says. “It is only through living that we gain wisdom.”
The Power of Music
“This Shabbat, we honor the historical memory of the Israelites singing on the shores of freedom, dancing with timbrel in hand, finding strength in being in the moment together,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “When we find each other in song – things become simple, even if only for a moment. What divides us is stripped away.”
On Truth
“Judaism challenges us to live in truth —to live with authenticity, integrity and moral responsibility,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “We need courage and strength to bring our sense of what is true to light, even when confronting those who seem not to be listening.”
Hungry Ghosts
In this week’s parashah, Pharoah has a peculiar dream about cannibal cows. Rabbi Samantha Natov urges us to consider our own responses to unsatiated needs. “Jealousy, anger, hatred, and rage make demands of us — but feeding these emotions will never satisfy…”
A Bittersweet Thanksgiving
“Celebrating Thanksgiving may seem a bit tone-deaf when so many are suffering,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov, but “as Jews, we are often asked to celebrate the goodness of our lot at the same time we remember the many in need that we are obligated to help. We carry those opposing realities at the same time…”
Rebecca’s Question
“How do I continue living?” Rebecca asked in excruciating pain as her twins battled within her womb. We ask ourselves the same question today, while battling the trauma, loss and antisemitism around us. But “we cannot fight hate with hate,” answers Rabbi Samantha Natov. “Only light can pierce through darkness.”
Hope
“Many of us feel overwhelmed by the unending onslaught of terrible news and a sense of deep foreboding for what is yet to come,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov of the destruction and hatred rising up around us. But “our hope is not yet lost. It is 2,000 old… together we can choose life again and again.”
Recent Commentaries and Op-Eds
JTA: Torah is the anti-ChatGPT. But we can embrace artificial intelligence without losing our soul.
Apr 20, 2023
“The technology behind ChatGPT is either going to destroy the world or solve all of our problems,” our Rabbi Samantha Natov wrote in JTA News. She weighs the benefits and dangers of our new AI reality – and the drastic ways it will change how we connect with one another.
Gothamist: Where to celebrate Purim in NYC: A guide to the city’s parties, carnivals and more
Mar 4, 2023
Purim is a “celebration of the possibility for one person with a strong moral compass to make a difference,” our Rabbi Samantha Natov tells Gothamist. Head “Into the Spiel” with us this year as we continue our more than 30-year tradition of musical megillahs.
NY1: Why Two Women’s March Events This Weekend Have Caused a Rift
Jan 18, 2019
With concerns still growing over this year’s Women’s March, leaders within Women’s March Alliance are working to distance themselves from the national organization whose leaders have been accused of anti-Semitism. A local offshoot of the national organization is holding a competing event. “It’s really a shame because it stands in the way of so much unity between us,” said Rabbi Samantha Natov of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, which held a meeting ahead of the march and where members of the Women’s March Alliance tried to ease fears about the march.
Associated Press: Schism leads to dueling women’s march events in NYC
Jan 18, 2019
Conflicts over control, inclusivity, and alleged anti-Semitism meant that women protesting on the second anniversary of the Women’s March on Washington were faced with competing demonstrations in New York City. Some Jewish groups pulled support for Women’s March Inc. and a Washington state chapter disbanded in protest. The leaders of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue urged its members to take part in the uptown march, affiliated with Women’s March Alliance. Rabbi Samantha Natov said she still has problems with the Women’s March Inc.’s reaction to allegations of anti-Semitism: “The leadership has not assuaged our most serious concerns,” she said. This story was picked up by The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other outlets.
YNET (Hebrew): American holiday, Jewish values
Nov 23, 2018
YNET spoke to our Rabbi Samantha Natov about how Thanksgiving — a secular holiday — incorporates Jewish values, like tikkun olam, which our volunteers embraced at a Thanksgiving dinner for guests of our on-site Next Step Men’s Shelter.
Kveller: Thanksgiving Is Basically a Jewish Holiday. Here’s Why.
Nov 21, 2018
Our Rabbi Samantha Natov explains how Thanksgiving is profoundly Jewish for a secular holiday, incorporating central Jewish values. “Thanksgiving offers us a chance to replenish ourselves with a sense of gratitude, well-being, and connection. And this is at the heart of Jewish life and practice.”