Yehuda Krinsky

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky
Born Chaim Yehuda Krinsky
1933
Boston, Mass.
For the 19th century Rabbi, see Yehuda Leib Krinsky.

Chaim Yehuda ("Yudel") Krinsky (born December 3, 1933), Boston, Massachusetts)[1] is an ordained rabbi and a member of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Jewish, Hasidic movement. He served for forty years as part of the movement's administrative staff, and as an assistant to the movement's late leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh rebbe of Chabad.

Krinsky served as the Rebbe's chauffeur for many years. [2] In 1994, Krinsky was named sole executor of Schneerson's will Following the Rebbe's passing, Following Schneerson's Passing, Krinsky was appointed chairman of several of the movement's central organizations. Today, he is among the most influential figures of the Chabad movement.[3]

Biography

Krinsky grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts 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 joined Schneerson's staff in 1957.[1]

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.[4]

In 1988, the Lubavitcher Rebbe set about reorganizing the organizational structures of the movement and Krinsky was installed as secretary of the three controlling boards. Currently, Krinsky serves as 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.[5] Krinsky has been active in helping to build new schools and expanding the reach of the Chabad movement around the world.[6]

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 Russian 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.[7]

Family

Krinsky was married to Devorah Kasinetz OBM, daughter of the late Rabbi Zev and Ethel Kasinetz. Their children are:

Recognition

Krinsky's achievements have been recognized in the press. He appeared in several lists of influential American Jews including the Forward 50 (in 2005),[11] and Newsweek (from 2007-2013).

Newsweek nominations

From 2007 to 2013,[12] Newsweek magazine has compiled an annual list of the fifty most influential rabbis in the United States. Krinsky's was nominated to the list each year. His placings varied from year to year, but he has never dropped from the top five.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Testimony :: Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky". Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Sperter, Michael (19 March 1992). "Jewish faithful flock to Brooklyn orthodox sect leader". New York Times Magazine.
  3. ↑ Ehrlich, M. Avrum. The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present. Ktav Publishing. ISBN 0-88125-836-9. (Chapter 20)
  4. ↑ "Rabbi using modern medium in call for traditional values". The New York Times, 23 January 1983.
  5. ↑ "Last will and testament of Menachem Mendel Schneerson". 14 February 1988. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  6. ↑ Gonzalez, David (8 November 1994). "Lubavitchers Learn to Sustain Themselves Without the Rebbe". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Hananel, Sam (6 April 2005). "Commission hears efforts to retrieve Jewish texts from Russia". Associated Press.
  8. ↑ "Shterna Sarah Garelik Bride Of Rabbi Hillel David Krinsky". The New York Times. 8 April 1981. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "WEDDINGS; Rivkah Gutnick, Shmaya Krinsky". The New York Times. 5 June 1994. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  10. ↑ "Sheine B. Krinsky Is the Bride Of Rabbi Joseph B. Friedman". The New York Times. 3 April 1979. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  11. ↑ PR Newswire (10 November 2005). "Rapper, Republicans, Relief Org. Heads and Rabbis Named to Forward 50, by America's National Jewish Newspaper".
  12. ↑ "Newsweek's 'Top 50 Rabbis' List Is Ending After Seven Years." The Huffington Post. Feb. 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Lynton, Michael (2 April 2007). "The Top 50 Rabbis in America". Newsweek.
  14. ↑ Lynton, Michael (11 April 2008). "Top 50 Influential Rabbis in America". Newsweek.
  15. ↑ Lynton, Michael; Ginsberg, Gary; Sanderson, Jay (2009). "50 Influential Rabbis". Newsweek. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lynton, Michael; Ginsberg, Gary (2010). "The 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America". Newsweek. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  17. ↑ Pogrebin, Abigail. "America’s Top 50 Rabbis for 2012". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  18. ↑ In explaining the reason for its demotion of Krinsky, Newsweek and the Daily Beast cited ongoing "pesky lawsuits" involving Krinsky.
  19. ↑ Pogrebin, Abigail (2012-04-02). "America’s Top 50 Rabbis for 2012". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  20. ↑ "America's top 50 rabbis." The Daily Beast. Accessed November 30, 2014.