Akiva Tatz
Encyclopedia
Akiva Tatz is a prominent South Africa
n Orthodox
rabbi
, inspirational speaker and writer who is heavily involved in Orthodox Jewish outreach. He is also a physician
and world renowned expert in Jewish medical ethics
.
, South Africa. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand
Medical School, graduating with distinction in surgery
. He then spent a year in St. Louis, Missouri
as an American Field Service Scholar and subsequently returned there for elective work in internal medicine
at Washington University. He then served as a medical officer in the South African Defense Forces and served in the Angolan Bush War
. After practicing in both South Africa and the United States
, he moved to Israel
, and worked both in private practice
as well as in a hospital setting in Jerusalem.
Although not raised as an observant Jew, Tatz would later rediscover Judaism and become a baal teshuva
, or returnee. He is currently on staff at the Jewish Learning Exchange and Ohr Somayach, and in the past has been a guest lecturer at Gateways
. Rabbi Tatz gives lectures to Jewish student groups and organisations across the UK, including an annual medical ethics lecture at University College London
hosted by both the Jewish Society and Medical Ethics Society. He is also a regular lecturer on the Jewish Learning Exchange Genesis leadership programme. He has become a recognized expert in matters of Jewish thought and philosophy, which he covers in his authored texts. Zoketsu Norman Fischer
, former abbot
of the San Francisco Zen Center
and founder of and teacher at the Everyday Zen Foundation, describes Tatz's work, Letters to a Buddhist Jew, as "a fascinating book - the most serious contribution in this field to date."
Tatz is both the founder and director of the Jerusalem Medical Ethics Forum, whose purpose is to promote knowledge of Jewish medical ethics internationally, giving lectures worldwide in Jewish thought and medical ethics, as well as on modern applications in medicine. He is also involved with the Jerusalem Center for Research in Medicine and Halacha, often speaking at their annual European events.
He currently resides in London
, England
.
, French
and Portuguese
and Russian
:
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, inspirational speaker and writer who is heavily involved in Orthodox Jewish outreach. He is also a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and world renowned expert in Jewish medical ethics
Jewish medical ethics
Jewish medical ethics is a modern scholarly and clinical approach to medical ethics that draws upon Jewish thought and teachings. Pioneered by Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits in the 1950s, Jewish medical ethics centers mainly around an applied ethics drawing upon traditional rabbinic law...
.
Biography
Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
Medical School, graduating with distinction in surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
. He then spent a year in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
as an American Field Service Scholar and subsequently returned there for elective work in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
at Washington University. He then served as a medical officer in the South African Defense Forces and served in the Angolan Bush War
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
. After practicing in both South Africa and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and worked both in private practice
Medical practice
A medical practice or practice of medicine is the practice of medicine, as performed by a medical practitioner—a physician...
as well as in a hospital setting in Jerusalem.
Although not raised as an observant Jew, Tatz would later rediscover Judaism and become a baal teshuva
Baal teshuva
Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...
, or returnee. He is currently on staff at the Jewish Learning Exchange and Ohr Somayach, and in the past has been a guest lecturer at Gateways
Gateways (organization)
Gateways is an organization whose self-declared mission is it to "raise Jewish consciousness and help stem the rising tide of Jewish assimilation among American Jews."-Origins:...
. Rabbi Tatz gives lectures to Jewish student groups and organisations across the UK, including an annual medical ethics lecture at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
hosted by both the Jewish Society and Medical Ethics Society. He is also a regular lecturer on the Jewish Learning Exchange Genesis leadership programme. He has become a recognized expert in matters of Jewish thought and philosophy, which he covers in his authored texts. Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a Jewish-American Soto Zen roshi, poet and Buddhist author practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. He is a Dharma heir of Sojun Mel Weitsman, from whom he received Dharma transmission in 1988. Having served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1995—2000,...
, former abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center , is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising the City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. The sangha was incorporated by Shunryu...
and founder of and teacher at the Everyday Zen Foundation, describes Tatz's work, Letters to a Buddhist Jew, as "a fascinating book - the most serious contribution in this field to date."
Tatz is both the founder and director of the Jerusalem Medical Ethics Forum, whose purpose is to promote knowledge of Jewish medical ethics internationally, giving lectures worldwide in Jewish thought and medical ethics, as well as on modern applications in medicine. He is also involved with the Jerusalem Center for Research in Medicine and Halacha, often speaking at their annual European events.
He currently resides in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Works
Tatz's works have been translated into SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
:
- Living Inspired (Targum PressTargum PressTargum Press is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Jerusalem. It claims to be the third largest Judaica publisher after Artscroll and Feldheim. In addition to publishing books on Jewish law and philosophy, translations of classic texts, and fiction, it has played a...
, 1993) - Worldmask (Targum Press, 1995)
- Letters to a Buddhist Jew (Targum Press, 2004)
- Anatomy of a Search (1987) - Biographical book on how Tatz found religion and became a baal teshuva.
- The Thinking Jewish Teenager's Guide to Life (Targum PressTargum PressTargum Press is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Jerusalem. It claims to be the third largest Judaica publisher after Artscroll and Feldheim. In addition to publishing books on Jewish law and philosophy, translations of classic texts, and fiction, it has played a...
, 1999) - Dangerous Disease and Dangerous Therapy in Jewish Medical Ethics (2010)