Avi Weiss
Encyclopedia
Avraham Weiss (Hebrew: אברהם חיים יוסף הכהן ווייס; born 1944) is an American
Modern Orthodox
rabbi
who heads the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
in The Bronx
, New York
. He is an author, teacher, lecturer, and activist. He is founder and Dean of the "open Orthodox" Yeshiva in New York, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
.
In 2011, Newsweek
ranked him the 12th most prominent Rabbi in the United States;
in 2010 he was ranked 18th most prominent, and in 2007 he was ranked 25th.
Weiss was twice named one of the "Fifty Jewish Leaders to Watch in the Year Ahead" by The Forward
newspaper and the New York Board of Rabbis
named him Rabbi of the Year for 1993–94.
a few years earlier. The synagogue started with 29 and now has 850 families.
, opposing terrorism
, supporting Israel
, preserving Holocaust memorials, and exposing anti-semitism
. In 1992 he founded Amcha – the Coalition for Jewish Concerns, a grassroots
coalition which engages in pro-Jewish activism.
and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In 1992 he was one of the signators to a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard
, an Israeli spy who has been in prison since 1985. He has served as Pollard's personal rabbi since 1987, visiting him 42 times in prison. In 1989 Weiss conducted a "freedom Seder
" in front of the prison in which Pollard was incarcerated.
At a speech at New York City Hall in 2001 Weiss criticized President George W. Bush
for not making a clearer distinction between Arab acts of terrorism and Israeli acts of self-defense. "The trap that he's falling into is that he's drawn a moral equivalency between cold-blooded murder and acts of self-defense," Weiss said.
In April 2002 Weiss organized a pro-Israel rally on the National Mall
in Washington, D.C.
and a boycott of several large newspapers perceived as having an anti-Israeli bias.
In 2006 Weiss organized a protest in front Syria's UN mission to denounce a Hezbollah offensive in the Middle East.
, and screamed anti-Nazi slogans. Workers evicted them from the site. In 1993 Pope John Paul II
ordered the closure of the convent, which had been located in a converted building that had stored Zyklon B
gas used to kill prisoners at the camp during World War II.
He protested President Ronald Reagan
's visit to an SS cemetery in 1985. He was arrested in 1990 while protesting Kurt Waldheim
's visit to the Salzburg Festival
, and again in 1994, when he protested in Oslo, Norway, when PLO chief Yasser Arafat
received the Nobel Peace Prize
.
Along with Rosa Sacharin of Glasgow, Scotland, Weiss sued the American Jewish Committee
in New York state court in 2003 to stop the construction of a path through the Belzec extermination camp
in Poland
. They were concerned that mass graves at the site would be disturbed by the work.
, founded in 1964. It was one of the first American organizations working to free Russian Jews, who were not allowed to emigrate during the Soviet era. The group used demonstrations, lobbying, and education to pressure the Soviet authorities into allowing Jews to leave the country.
.
He views halakha
, the collective body of Jewish law, as being more flexible and open to innovation than his more traditional counterparts on the Orthodox right. He states that all Orthodox Judaism, including Open Orthodoxy, fundamentally differs from Conservative Judaism
in three areas. First, unlike Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah
was given by God at Mount Sinai
in its current form. Second, Orthodoxy believes that "legal authority is cumulative, and that that a contemporary posek
(decisor) can only issue judgments based on a full history of Jewish legal precedent", whereas Conservative Jews believe "precedent provides illustrations of possible positions rather than binding law. Conservatism, therefore, remains free to select whichever position within the prior history appeals to it". Third, Orthodoxy is characterized by ritually-observant members who "meticulously keep Shabbat
(the Sabbath), Kashrut
(the Dietary Laws), Taharat ha-Mishpaha
(the Laws of Family Purity), and pray
three times a day", whereas Conservative Judaism "is generally not composed of ritually observant Jews. Thus, only in our community if a 'permissive custom' is accepted, can it be meaningful."
In May 2009, Weiss announced the opening of Yeshivat Maharat, a new school to train women as Maharat, an acronym for the Hebrew מנהיגה הלכתית רוחנית תורנית (halachic, spiritual, and Torah leader), the female version of a Rabbi.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
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...
who heads the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in the Riverdale, Bronx neighborhood of New York City. Rabbi Avi Weiss has led the congregation since 1973....
in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is an author, teacher, lecturer, and activist. He is founder and Dean of the "open Orthodox" Yeshiva in New York, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School is a "Modern Open Orthodox" yeshiva founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss.Currently located in Riverdale, New York, it seeks to "recruit, professionally train, and place rabbis" who will promote its founder's philosophy...
.
In 2011, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
ranked him the 12th most prominent Rabbi in the United States;
in 2010 he was ranked 18th most prominent, and in 2007 he was ranked 25th.
Weiss was twice named one of the "Fifty Jewish Leaders to Watch in the Year Ahead" by The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
newspaper and the New York Board of Rabbis
New York Board of Rabbis
The New York Board of Rabbis is an organization of Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist rabbis in New York State and the surrounding portions of Connecticut and New Jersey....
named him Rabbi of the Year for 1993–94.
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale was founded in 1971. Weiss was 28 and had finished his training at Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
a few years earlier. The synagogue started with 29 and now has 850 families.
Activism
Weiss has been vocal on many issues, including emigration and absorption of Soviet Jews, clemency for Israeli spy Jonathan PollardJonathan Pollard
Jonathan Jay Pollard worked as a civilian intelligence analyst before being convicted of spying for Israel. He received a life sentence in 1987....
, opposing terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, supporting Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, preserving Holocaust memorials, and exposing anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. In 1992 he founded Amcha – the Coalition for Jewish Concerns, a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
coalition which engages in pro-Jewish activism.
In America
He was an official emissary of former New York Governor Mario CuomoMario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In 1992 he was one of the signators to a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard
Jonathan Pollard
Jonathan Jay Pollard worked as a civilian intelligence analyst before being convicted of spying for Israel. He received a life sentence in 1987....
, an Israeli spy who has been in prison since 1985. He has served as Pollard's personal rabbi since 1987, visiting him 42 times in prison. In 1989 Weiss conducted a "freedom Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
" in front of the prison in which Pollard was incarcerated.
At a speech at New York City Hall in 2001 Weiss criticized President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for not making a clearer distinction between Arab acts of terrorism and Israeli acts of self-defense. "The trap that he's falling into is that he's drawn a moral equivalency between cold-blooded murder and acts of self-defense," Weiss said.
In April 2002 Weiss organized a pro-Israel rally on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and a boycott of several large newspapers perceived as having an anti-Israeli bias.
In 2006 Weiss organized a protest in front Syria's UN mission to denounce a Hezbollah offensive in the Middle East.
In Europe
Weiss has travelled worldwide as an activist in various causes. In 1989 Weiss and others protested at a Carmelite convent which had been established at Auschwitz. The group—dressed in concentration camp clothing—scaled the walls of the convent, blew a shofarShofar
A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
, and screamed anti-Nazi slogans. Workers evicted them from the site. In 1993 Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
ordered the closure of the convent, which had been located in a converted building that had stored Zyklon B
Zyklon B
Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide infamous for its use by Nazi Germany to kill human beings in gas chambers of extermination camps during the Holocaust. The "B" designation indicates one of two types of Zyklon...
gas used to kill prisoners at the camp during World War II.
He protested President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's visit to an SS cemetery in 1985. He was arrested in 1990 while protesting Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
's visit to the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, and again in 1994, when he protested in Oslo, Norway, when PLO chief Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
received the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
Along with Rosa Sacharin of Glasgow, Scotland, Weiss sued the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
in New York state court in 2003 to stop the construction of a path through the Belzec extermination camp
Belzec extermination camp
Belzec, Polish spelling Bełżec , was the first of the Nazi German extermination camps created for implementing Operation Reinhard during the Holocaust...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. They were concerned that mass graves at the site would be disturbed by the work.
Soviet Jewry
Weiss was an early leader of the Student Struggle for Soviet JewryStudent Struggle for Soviet Jewry
The Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, also known by its acronym SSSJ, was founded in 1964 by Jacob Birnbaum to be a spearhead of the US movement for rights of the Soviet Jewry.-“Let My People Go” foundation period in 1960s:...
, founded in 1964. It was one of the first American organizations working to free Russian Jews, who were not allowed to emigrate during the Soviet era. The group used demonstrations, lobbying, and education to pressure the Soviet authorities into allowing Jews to leave the country.
Jewish philosophy
Weiss coined the term "Open Orthodox", and founded Yeshivat Chovevei TorahYeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School is a "Modern Open Orthodox" yeshiva founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss.Currently located in Riverdale, New York, it seeks to "recruit, professionally train, and place rabbis" who will promote its founder's philosophy...
.
He views halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, the collective body of Jewish law, as being more flexible and open to innovation than his more traditional counterparts on the Orthodox right. He states that all Orthodox Judaism, including Open Orthodoxy, fundamentally differs from Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
in three areas. First, unlike Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
was given by God at Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai , also known as Mount Horeb, Mount Musa, Gabal Musa , Jabal Musa meaning "Moses' Mountain", is a mountain near Saint Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. A mountain called Mount Sinai is mentioned many times in the Book of Exodus in the Torah and the Bible as well as the Quran...
in its current form. Second, Orthodoxy believes that "legal authority is cumulative, and that that a contemporary posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
(decisor) can only issue judgments based on a full history of Jewish legal precedent", whereas Conservative Jews believe "precedent provides illustrations of possible positions rather than binding law. Conservatism, therefore, remains free to select whichever position within the prior history appeals to it". Third, Orthodoxy is characterized by ritually-observant members who "meticulously keep Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
(the Sabbath), Kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
(the Dietary Laws), Taharat ha-Mishpaha
Niddah
Niddah is a Hebrew term describing a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh ....
(the Laws of Family Purity), and pray
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
three times a day", whereas Conservative Judaism "is generally not composed of ritually observant Jews. Thus, only in our community if a 'permissive custom' is accepted, can it be meaningful."
In May 2009, Weiss announced the opening of Yeshivat Maharat, a new school to train women as Maharat, an acronym for the Hebrew מנהיגה הלכתית רוחנית תורנית (halachic, spiritual, and Torah leader), the female version of a Rabbi.
Rabbah Hurwitz
In June 2009 Weiss ordained Sara Hurwitz with the title of Maharat. In February 2010 Weiss announced that Hurwitz would henceforth be known by the title of "Rabbah". She is the first orthodox female rabbi. Hurwitz was appointed dean of the Yeshivat Maharat school.Organizations
- Hebrew Institute of RiverdaleHebrew Institute of RiverdaleHebrew Institute of Riverdale is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in the Riverdale, Bronx neighborhood of New York City. Rabbi Avi Weiss has led the congregation since 1973....
(synagogue where Weiss is the rabbi) - Yeshivat Chovevei TorahYeshivat Chovevei TorahYeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School is a "Modern Open Orthodox" yeshiva founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss.Currently located in Riverdale, New York, it seeks to "recruit, professionally train, and place rabbis" who will promote its founder's philosophy...
(founded by Weiss) - The coalition for Jewish concerns (Amcha) (founded by Weiss)
Works
Articles in Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility:- Creating an Open Orthodox Rabbinate, with Dov Linzer, Vol. 33/no.597-598 2003.
- A Congregation of Holy Souls: Reflections on 9/11 One Year Later Vol.33/no.593 2002.
- NiSh'ma:Apikorus, with Rebecca T. Alpert, Shmuley Boteach, Lisa S. Lehmann Vol.31/no.574 2000.
- Endthoughts: Stolen Money and Stolen Souls, Vol.27/no.535 1997.
- The Insurmountable Divisiveness of Patrilineality, Vol.25/no.469 1994.
- With Jonathan Pollard, Vol.23/no.453 1993.
External links
- BBC, Modern Orthodoxy: BBC summary of Modern Orthodox Judaism
- Rabbis on Their Way Home to Zion, Israel National News, July 1, 2007