Solomon Sharfman
| Solomon J. Sharfman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 1, 1915 Treblinka, Poland |
| Died |
December 4, 2004 (aged 89) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Resting place | Har Hazeitim, Israel |
| Other names | Rabbi Sharfman |
| Occupation | Rabbi |
| Employer | Young Israel of Flatbush |
| Religion | Orthodox Judaism |
| Spouse(s) | Libby Ossip |
| Children |
Label Sharfman Debbi Diament Rochelle Kohn Lea Hain Riki Koenigsberg |
| Parent(s) | Label and Fanny Sharfman |
Solomon Sharfman was a rabbi of Orthodox Jewry who built the Flatbush Modern Orthodox Jewish community in the mid-1900s, while sowing the seeds of American Jewry for generations to come.
Life
Solomon Joseph Sharfman was born on November 1, 1915, in Treblinka, Poland; his family came to the United States a number of years later. For over forty years, from 1938 to 1984, Sharfman was the rabbi of Young Israel of Flatbush, the pulpit from which he led American Jewry.[1][2] For two years, from 1956 to 1958, he served as president of the Rabbinical Council of America,[3][4] and from 1969 to 1971, he was president of the Synagogue Council of America.[5]
Rabbi Sharfman maintained a relationship with rabbinic luminaries of the era, such as Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik[6] and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein.[7]
His writings are included in a number of compilations of rabbinic literature ("Homer LeDerush") of the National Council of Young Israel.[8] He died in his sleep on December 19, 2004.[9]
Legacy
His son, Rabbi Label Sharfman, founded and heads the Bnot Torah Seminary in the Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel, otherwise known as "Sharfman's".[10] Notable grandchildren include Rabbi Eliakim Koenigsberg, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivat R' Yitzchak Elchanan (RIETS).[11] A sister of Rabbi Koenigsberg is married to Rabbi Meir Orlian, who is the rabbi and Dayan of a synagogue in Yad Binyamin and teaches in Yeshivat Shaalvim and Kerem BeYavneh.[12]
Overall, Rabbi Sharfman's descendants number over a hundred grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In 1989, Rabbi Sharfman founded JustOneLife, an organization that provides professional counseling and financial assistance, enabling and empowering mothers to choose to continue their pregnancies to term. Twenty-five years later, the organization is still in operation.[13]
References
- ↑ "Young Israel of Flatbush". Admin.
- ↑ The 1940 US Census lists him and his family as living on East 14th Street, the heart of the Orthodox Jewish Community in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=cgMCSrDxKGAC&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=rabbi+solomon+sharfman&source=bl&ots=8sNo_tSOtv&sig=1UHGovmN-iCpDAjsU8MWD0cMTKU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zH6SVPHcDannsATci4HQDQ&ved=0CFEQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=rabbi%20solomon%20sharfman&f=false
- ↑ Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) website
- ↑ "Rabbi Solomon J. Sharfman Heads Synagogue Council, Succeeding Rabbi Philip Rudin". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
- ↑ "The Rav".
- ↑ See Iggerot Moshe O.C. Vol. 4 Siman 87 and http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/821478/Rabbi_Aaron_Rakeffet-Rothkoff/Responsa_Literature_#9_-_%27Solomon_Scharfman_and_Reb_Moshe%27_11-30-2014
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/RABBINICAL-COUNCIL-HOLIDAY-SABBATH-SERMONS/dp/B000HJF3WY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418707215&sr=1-2
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/nyregion/19sharfman.html?_r=0
- ↑ http://bnottorah.com/
- ↑ http://www.yutorah.org/Rabbi_Eliakim_Koenigsberg
- ↑ https://www.shaalvim.org/yeshiva/faculty/
- ↑ http://www.justonelife.org/about.asp?pg=mission
External links
- Young Israel of Flatbush website
- Forward to the first volume of the RCA journal, Tradition, written by Rabbi Sharfman (1958)
- Orthodox Jews Seek Court Ban on Mixed Seating in Synagogue
- See the list of all 47 news articles in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency archives detailing how Rabbi Sharfman was a persistent force of diplomacy fighting for Torah-true Judaism in the United States of America and the world.