Shmuel Herzfeld

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Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, born October 9, 1974, in Staten Island, New York (also known as Shmuel or Rav Shmuel) is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi who heads the National Synagogue, of Washington, DC. He is a teacher, lecturer, and activist.

Herzfeld received his smicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1999. He also received a Masters in Medieval Jewish History from Yeshiva University under the guidance of Dr. Haym Soloveitchik, where he wrote on the topic of Hechlid Be-Miut Simanim. He then served as the assistant Rabbi under Rabbi Avi Weiss at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale from 1999 to 2004, before transferring to Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue.

From 2008 to 2010, Herzfeld hosted a weekly radio show called Shmoozin with Shmuel, which was aimed at Jews in the Washington, DC community,[1] and frequently writes columns in newspapers. His writings have appeared in many publications including, The New York Times, the New York Sun, The Jewish Week, The Forward, and Washington Jewish Week. He has appeared often in the national news, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, CNN and Fox News, and is regarded as an important figure in Modern Orthodox Judaism.

His Torah thoughts are archived on his personal website.[2]

Activism

Herzfeld is a Jewish Orthodox activist. He has been vocal on many issues, including Israel activism, Jewish outreach, the threat of anti-Semitism, gay rights,[3] and the plight of the agunah. Herzfeld is currently the Vice President for Amcha - the coalition for Jewish concerns, a grass-roots coalition which engages in pro-Jewish activism.[4]

In 2008, Herzfeld published an article in The New York Times, titled "Dark Meat."[5] This article attracted media attention in NPR, other newspapers, and many blogs.

Herzfeld has been outspoken regarding the problem of the agunah, appearing in a front page article in The New York Times in January 2011.[6] This article generated a significant amount of media attention and put a spotlight on the agunah crisis within Orthodox Judaism.

Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue

Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue is the oldest continuous Orthodox synagogue operating in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1886 by Russian immigrants, and moved several times to other locations in Washington, before ending up at its current location at 16th and Jonquil Streets, in Washington, DC, in 1960. The synagogue was noted for its Cantor, Moshe Yoelson, the father of Al Jolson.

Herzfeld joined the synagogue in 2004, with a vision of taking the spirit of the synagogue out to the community and to welcome all Jews regardless of their prior Jewish background or training. He has been very successful, increasing the membership from 20 families to approximately 350 families today.[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.wust1120.com/programming.html WUST 1120 Programming Guide
  2. ↑ http://www.rabbishmuel.com
  3. ↑ http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/13912/unorthodox-position/
  4. ↑ http://amchacjc.org Amcha
  5. ↑ "http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/opinion/06herzfeld.html
  6. ↑ "http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/us/04divorce.html?partner=rss&emc=rss"
  7. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21499-2004Sep14.html A Rabbi's Unorthodox Revival
http://www.ostt.org/

External links

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