Work/Life Solutions with Jonathan Donath  

What: Jonathan specializes in non-surgical spinal decompression therapy. This cutting-edge, FDA-cleared treatment, is effective in some of the most severe cases of herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease and failed back surgery, and can help patients who were told surgery was their only option. Jonathan, author of the 2015 book, The Neck and Back Pain Solution, has a variety of patients coming for treatment from all over the world (including professional athletes, actors, and roshei yeshivah). In 2019, Jonathan co-founded a unique Jewish non-profit called DailyGiving.org.

Where: Jonathan was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. There was no local Jewish high school, so he left home at 13 and went to Skokie yeshivah for four years, followed by a year and a half at Mevaseret in Eretz Yisrael, and then Yeshiva University. Afterward, he attended the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic (where he was class valedictorian) and also picked up a master’s degree in human nutrition. He resides with his wife and two children in White Plains, New York.

Why: There are very few people I know who have personal relationships with world-renowned athletes, Broadway stars, and gedolim, and who have garnered the respect of them all. But more than that, I was intrigued by the worldwide tzedakah project he launched. Daily Giving is an innovative yet simple platform that enables people to give $1 a day to tzedakah. Over 4,900 people already signed up, which means that Jonathan is on track this year alone to distribute over $1.75 million to various causes in the Jewish world.

1 of 9: What opportunities or personalities played a key role in your career path?

You get to choose your spouse but you don’t get to choose your parents. I am incredibly blessed to have been born into my family — my parents are the best role models I could have ever hoped for. Growing up as the son of a renowned professor of mechanical engineering who got his PhD from MIT and an occupational therapist who did her training at Columbia and Johns Hopkins universities, you’d think I would have had a lot of pressure to succeed. Yet from the time I was a kid, all the way through adulthood, they never forced me into any one direction. They were strict when they needed to be but always fair and compassionate. They gave me and my three siblings unconditional love and support and were behind me 100 percent in every decision I ever made. They taught me the meaning of hard work and dedication to your craft. If you’re going to do something — strive to give it your best. I also feel incredibly blessed to have always had amazing friends and incredible rabbanim at every point in my life – in Minneapolis, in Skokie, at Mevasseret, in YU, and in White Plains. Everyone plays a role and shapes who you become.