After attending a private prep high school in Marin County, he matriculated to Stanford University in the Fall of 1991. After two years of pre-medical curriculum, a couple of trips to Israel, and a White House Internship in 1993 for President Clinton (it was still prestigious at the time – it was before a certain scandal occurred!), Rabbi Garfinkel decided that Stanford could not answer his burning questions about the meaning and purpose of life. So, he hopped on a plane to Israel, and the rest is history! After two years in Israel, he returned to finish Stanford with a BA in History ('96) and promptly returned to study at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem. After two years at Ohr Somayach, Rabbi met his “beshert,” Suri, and they lived in Israel for six years while continuing to study for Rabbinic ordination. In the fall of 2004, Rabbi, Suri, and their three children moved to the UCLA campus to do campus outreach with JAM. In 2007, after three productive years in LA, Rabbi Zev Kahn brought the Garfinkels to Chicago to be the Director of Outreach for JET. In 2010, Rabbi Garfinkel started JET YP focusing on Young Professionals.

After 10 amazing years with JET, Rabbi and Suri launched their own Young Professional outreach organization, Project 613 now Olami 613, on July 1st, 2017! Rabbi Garfinkel and Suri now have eight amazing children – seven girls and one prince! The Garfinkels love having guests in their home and have truly become a home-away-from-home for countless Jews in the Chicagoland area!