Chaim Yehuda Krinsky
Encyclopedia
Chaim Yehuda Krinsky (born 1933, Boston
, Massachusetts
) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic
rabbi
. He served for forty years in various positions as an important assistant to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
. He served as chief spokesman for the Rebbe and the Lubavitch movement, and was named sole executor of Schneerson's will. He has been at the helm of the movement's finances since the death of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov
, the Rebbe’s chief of staff. He was also his chauffeur for many years. According to Avrum Erlich, "Krinsky is probably the most powerful individual in the contemporary Habad movement."
and was educated at the Boston Latin School
. At the age of 12, he was sent by his parents to study at the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva in Brooklyn
, where he received his rabbinical ordination. He was called upon to join Schneerson's staff in 1957.
In 1988, the Lubavitcher Rebbe set about reorganizing the organizational structures of the movement and Krinsky was reinstated as secretary of the three controlling boards. Currently, Krinsky is Chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
and Machne Israel, the movement's educational and social services arms, secretary of the umbrella organization Agudas Chasidei Chabad
, and director of the Kehot Publication Society
.
After the Rebbe's wife died in 1988, the Rebbe appointed Krinsky as the sole executor of his will. Krinsky has been active in helping to build new schools and expanding the reach of the Chabad movement around the world.
He has been active in efforts to retrieve a large library of books connected to the Chabad movement which is in the custody of the Russia
n government. Many of the books were seized from the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, as part of a Soviet crackdown on religion after the Russian Revolution. Krinsky garnered the support of actor Jon Voight
and politician Sam Brownback
for his cause.
He received the second-place mention in a list of the fifty most influential US rabbis compiled by Newsweek
in 2007, behind Marvin Hier
. He received the fourth-place mention in Newsweek 2008 and 2009 lists.
In 2010 he earned Newsweek first-place mention in the list of the fifty most influential US rabbis.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) is a Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
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...
. He served for forty years in various positions as an important assistant to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson , known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe among his followers, was a prominent Hasidic rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel...
. He served as chief spokesman for the Rebbe and the Lubavitch movement, and was named sole executor of Schneerson's will. He has been at the helm of the movement's finances since the death of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov
Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov
Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov was the chief of staff of the secretariat of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for more than 40 years.-Early life:...
, the Rebbe’s chief of staff. He was also his chauffeur for many years. According to Avrum Erlich, "Krinsky is probably the most powerful individual in the contemporary Habad movement."
Biography
Krinsky grew up in Dorchester, MassachusettsDorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
and was educated at the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
. At the age of 12, he was sent by his parents to study at the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, where he received his rabbinical ordination. He was called upon to join Schneerson's staff in 1957.
Activities
In the late 1950s Krinsky created the Lubavitch News Service. He was in charge of disseminating the Rebbe's talks around the world via satellite.In 1988, the Lubavitcher Rebbe set about reorganizing the organizational structures of the movement and Krinsky was reinstated as secretary of the three controlling boards. Currently, Krinsky is Chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch is the central educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Founded by the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in 1943, the organization was initially directed by his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who would later become the seventh Rebbe...
and Machne Israel, the movement's educational and social services arms, secretary of the umbrella organization Agudas Chasidei Chabad
Agudas Chasidei Chabad
Agudas Chassidei Chabad is the umbrella organization for the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It administers three of the main Lubavitch offices: Machneh Israel, Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, and the Kehot Publication Society...
, and director of the Kehot Publication Society
Kehot Publication Society
Kehot Publication Society and Merkos Publications, the publishing divisions of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, were established in 1942 by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn...
.
After the Rebbe's wife died in 1988, the Rebbe appointed Krinsky as the sole executor of his will. Krinsky has been active in helping to build new schools and expanding the reach of the Chabad movement around the world.
He has been active in efforts to retrieve a large library of books connected to the Chabad movement which is in the custody of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n government. Many of the books were seized from the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, as part of a Soviet crackdown on religion after the Russian Revolution. Krinsky garnered the support of actor Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
and politician Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
for his cause.
Family
Krinsky is married to Devorah Kasinetz, daughter of the late Rabbi Zev and Ethel Kasinetz. Their children are:- Rabbi Levi Krinsky, director of Chabad of New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. - Rabbi Hillel David Krinsky, who is married to Shterna Sarah Garelik, daughter of Gershon GarelikGershon GarelikRabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik is a Chabad rabbi, who has served as a chief rabbi of Milano, Italy for more than 50 years. He is also head of Chabad institutions in Milan. He is also an active Beit Din head in that city. He is active in the Rabbinical Center of Europe and is chairman of that...
, the chief rabbi of MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He is the president of Chabad's Jewish Educational Media. - Menachem M. Krinsky, who is married to Miriam Turner of Chicago.
- Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky, who is married to Rivkah Gutnick, daughter of Australian commodities magnate Joseph GutnickJoseph GutnickJoseph Isaac Gutnick is an Australian businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi and is well known for his philanthropy in the Jewish world.-Business holdings:Among Gutnick's business holdings:...
. - Sheine B. Krinsky, who is married to Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman, associate director of the Kehot Publication Society.
- Chana Krinsky, who is married to Rabbi Joseph Futerfas, director of Camp Gan Israel, New York.
Recognition
Krinsky was named to the Forward 50 in 2005.He received the second-place mention in a list of the fifty most influential US rabbis compiled by 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...
in 2007, behind Marvin Hier
Marvin Hier
Rabbi Marvin Hier is the dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, its Museum of Tolerance and of Moriah, the Center's film division....
. He received the fourth-place mention in Newsweek 2008 and 2009 lists.
In 2010 he earned Newsweek first-place mention in the list of the fifty most influential US rabbis.