Shmuley Boteach

Shmuley Boteach
Native name שמואל בוטח
Born Shmuel Boteach
(1966-11-19) November 19, 1966
Los Angeles, California
Residence Englewood, New Jersey
Occupation Rabbi, author
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Debbie
Children 9[1]
Website www.shmuley.com

Shmuel "Shmuley" Boteach (שמואל (שמולי) בוטח, /ˈʃmuːli boʊˈteɪ.ək/ SHMOO-lee boh-TAY-ək; born November 19, 1966) is an American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, author, TV host and public speaker. Boteach is the author of 30 books,[2] including Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, published in 1999,[3] and Kosher Jesus, published in 2012. His outspokenness has earned him praise and criticism; Newsweek magazine named him one of the 50 most influential rabbis in the United States three years in a row, including sixth in 2010.[4][5] He resides in Englewood, New Jersey.[6]

Rabbinic career

In 1988, Boteach was sent at age 22 by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson[7] as a Chabad-Lubavitch shaliach (emissary) to Oxford, England, where he served as rabbi to Oxford's students for 11 years and during that time founded the L'Chaim Society.[8] Under Boteach's leadership the Oxford L'Chaim Society grew to be the second-largest student organization in Oxford's history, with a membership that included over 5,000 non-Jews.[9] A dispute erupted when Boteach was asked to remove some non-Jewish students from the society, including future Senator Cory Booker, but refused.[10] Later that year Boteach won the "Preacher of the Year" Award from The Times.[7]

In 2008 Boteach was named ninth on Newsweek's list of the "Top 50 Rabbis in America", and in 2009 he was named seventh.[4] In 2010 Boteach was listed on the Newsweek list at number six.[5]

Boteach has faced widespread criticism from fellow rabbis across his career, especially following the release of his book Kosher Jesus. It was denounced as "heresy" by some rabbis. Jacob Immanuel Schochet, a Canadian rabbi, stated that the book "poses a tremendous threat to the Jewish community."[11]

Boteach also faced criticism by the Jewish community for his views on love and sex in his book Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, stating that lust is more important than love. He has said "lust is the pinnacle of holiness," and "if you put love and lust together, love stands no chance."[12]

Media career

In 2006 Boteach hosted the television series Shalom in the Home. The series, which ran for two seasons on the TLC network, was a reality show in which Boteach counseled families and gave advice about relationships. In 2007, he was honored by the National Fatherhood Initiative with their most prestigious award for his efforts on Shalom in the Home and promoting the importance of a caring father in the contemporary family.[13][14] He writes two syndicated columns,[8] and is a frequent op-ed contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The Jerusalem Post and other newspapers. He has also been a occasional columnist for Breitbart News.[15] He speaks extensively in the United States, Israel, and other countries.

Boteach hosted a weekly radio show on WABC called The Shmuley Show.[16] He has made numerous guest appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other television programs, including The Dr. Phil Show[17] (as a relationship and marriage expert),[18]The Dr. Oz Show, and others[19] Boteach hosted his own show on the Oprah XM Satellite Radio Network and his writings[20] and quotes[21] are published on the Oprah.com website.[22]

In 2014, Boteach was a featured cast member in an episode for the Sundance Channel's Dream School series.[23]

He is founder of This World: The Values Network, an international organization dedicated to advancing universal Jewish values in the media and culture, and to affirming the Jewish people as a "light unto the nations".[23][24]

Michael Jackson

In the 1990s, Boteach became a friend and unofficial spiritual advisor to Michael Jackson.[7] Some Jewish commentators were critical. "Consorting with Michael Jackson might get Shmuley's name in the papers, but it's doubtful it will really encourage Jews to go to synagogue on Friday night", wrote Benjamin Soskis in Slate.[7] Boteach was a vocal supporter of Jackson and "dismissive of suggestions that Jackson's relationships with children have been anything other than wholesome. Why would anyone believe those charges? They said anyone who spends that amount of time with kids has to be sick. Well, that's not an indictment of Michael Jackson, that's an indictment of our society!"[25] He further stated: "I was friendly with Michael for a year before anyone knew about it. I did my own investigation. He never had sex with the child he made the settlement with, and there are no others."[26]

In 2001 Boteach was involved in "Heal the Kids"[27] or "Time for Kids", a charity founded by Jackson to encourage parents to spend more time with their children.[28] Jackson and Boteach had a falling-out in 2002.[29]

Following Michael Jackson's death, Boteach published The Michael Jackson Tapes,[30] a series of taped conversations he had with Jackson. Boteach said it was Jackson's wish that the conversations be published: "This book is being published because it was Michael Jackson's desperate wish that it be so," he wrote in the prologue to the book.[31]

A second book was published in 2010: Honoring the Child Spirit: Inspiration and Learning from Our Children, in conversation with Michael Jackson.

Views and opinions

Boteach wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed column on homosexuality that it is "akin to the prohibition against lighting fire on the Sabbath or eating bread during Passover; there is nothing immoral about it, but it violates the divine will. ... I am in favor of gay civil unions rather than marriage," he wrote.[32]

Boteach has opened a dialogue with Christians, and specifically with Messianic Jews, who are considered to be apostates by most Jews. In 2008 he debated with Michael Brown, a leader of the Messianic Jews, on whether belief in Jesus is compatible with Judaism,[33][34] and in his book Kosher Jesus he depicts Jesus as "a Jewish patriot murdered by Rome for his struggle on behalf of his people..."[35] These positions have drawn opposition from many in the orthodox establishment, particularly from within the Chabad sect to which Boteach belongs. Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, a leading British rabbi and a rival of Boteach's,[36] called Boteach's attempts to reach out to Messianic Jews "self-delusional",[37] and Rabbi Immanuel Schochet of Toronto, Ytzchak Schochet's father, banned the book to Orthodox Jewish readers. "It is forbidden for anyone to buy or read this book," he said in an interview.[38]

Boteach is known for his flamboyance and self-promotion. In a comment he later described as only having been sarcastic,[26] he was reported as saying "God gave 10 commandments at Sinai, and the 11th commandment, which they expunged but which has come down orally, is 'Thou shalt do anything for publicity and recognition.'"[39]

Boteach is supportive of Israel, and critical of American policy towards the country. Boteach has argued that the Obama administration is "bullying" Israel, arguing that U.S. Middle Eastern policy is "scandalous" and "disgusting".[40] He is also supportive of Israeli settlements, including the Hebron settlement, the residents of which he characterizes as marked by a particular "warmth, friendliness and hospitality" and views as being "liberated from hatred."[41]

Boteach was criticized by a variety of Jewish organizations for an ad placed in the New York Times which read "Susan Rice has a blind spot: Genocide", and that her action has "injected a degree of partisanship" that is "destructive of the fabric of the relationship" between the US and Israel. Rice had criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to speak to Congress about Iran's nuclear program without coordinating with the Obama administration.[42] Boteach apologized quoting that the disagreement was over policy and he did not intend a personal attack.[43] Speaking to CNN, Boteach said the purpose of the ad was to bring attention to his perception that the United States government has ignored genocides in the past, and continues to do so.[44]

2012 Congressional run

Boteach ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2012 elections. He supports gay marriage and recommended making family counseling tax deductible.[45] He received the endorsement of then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in April.[46] Boteach won the Republican primary for New Jersey's 9th congressional district seat on June 5, and lost to 8th District Representative Bill Pascrell (whose old district was redistricted) in the November election, by a margin of 73.6% to 25.4%.[47][48][49]

Published works

DVDs

Books

References

  1. ↑ (This information is as of the date of the source linked in this footnote: [that is, as of the beginning of 2012]) : "Religious Extremists in Israel and How the Mainstream Must Combat It".
  2. ↑ "Rabbi Shmuley - ABOUT". www.shmuley.com. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Boteach, Shmuley (1999). Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-49465-3.
  4. 1 2 Lynton, Michael; Ginsberg, Gary; Sanderson, Jay (April 4, 2009). "50 Influential Rabbis". Newsweek online. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Lynton, Michael (June 28, 2010). "The 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America". Newsweek online. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Education". www.washingtontimes.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Soskis, Benjamin (March 29, 2001). "Who is Shumuley Boteach?". Slate. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Rabbi Shmuley: America's Rabbi". Rabbi Shmuley official website. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  9. ↑ Rippingale, James (December 2, 2014). "A Conversation with the 'World's Most Controversial Jew'". Vice. VICE Media LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ Berrin, Danielle (June 15, 2010). "Shmuley Boteach's 18-Hour Day". Jewishjournal.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Rabbi's 'Kosher Jesus' book is denounced as heresy". Los Angeles Times. February 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ "'Lust is key to all of the Bible's famous marriages': Controversial rabbi claims that sex and desire is more important than love". Daily Mail. May 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ Goldberg, Michelle (23 March 2012). "Why Is Shmuley Boteach Running for Congress as a Republican?".
  14. ↑ "Schmuley Boteach - SourceWatch".
  15. ↑ "Shmuley Boteach". Breitbart.
  16. ↑ "WABC Adds Rabbi Shmuley Boteach For Weekend Show".
  17. ↑ "YouTube".
  18. ↑ "Dr. Phil.com".
  19. ↑ Weigel, David (21 August 2012). "The Kosher Candidate" – via Slate.
  20. ↑ "Getting Rid of Gossip".
  21. ↑ "Love Quotes - Doing Something You Hate - Rabbi Shmuley Boteach".
  22. ↑ http://www.oprah.com/search.html?q=boteach
  23. 1 2 "Rabbi Shmuley Boteach".
  24. ↑ "About". 10 June 2014.
  25. ↑ Freeman, Hadley (March 1, 2001). "Family values". London: The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  26. 1 2 Friedman, Roger (May 23, 2011). "Jacko's Rabbi Gets Meshugah on Court TV; Plus, Pearl Harbor Bombs Away". Fox News online. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Jackson's foundation now virtually defunct". msnbc.msn.com. March 25, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  28. ↑ Bullock, Penn (February 5, 2009). "Armed Again". Broward Palm Beach NewTimes. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Report: Shmuley Boteach, Uri Geller on Michael Jackson's 'Enemy List'". forward.com. Haaretz service. September 18, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  30. 1 2 Boteach, Shmuley (2009). The Michael Jackson Tapes: A Tragic Icon Reveals His Soul in Intimate Conversation. New York: Vanguard Press. ISBN 1-59315-602-2.
  31. ↑ Boteach, Shmuley. "Prologue". The Michael Jackson Tapes. Archived from the original on 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  32. ↑ Boteach, Shmuley (October 15, 2010). "My Jewish Perspective on Homosexuality". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  33. ↑ Round, Simon (May 22, 2008). "How Michael Jackson's rabbi moved on to Oprah". The Jewish Chronicle Online. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Can Jews Believe in Jesus?".
  35. ↑ Shmuley Boteach, Kosher Jesus (Gefen Publishing House, 2012, ISBN 9652295787).
  36. ↑ Schochet and Boteach were rival candidates for the Chief Rabbinate of Britain. Simon Rocker, "Seconds out: rabbis scrap over Jesus Christ", TheJC.com, January 26, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Rabbi 'boosts Christian missionaries'". The Jewish Chronicle Online. April 4, 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  38. ↑ Boswell, Randy (January 31, 2013). "Rabbis face off over book about ‘Kosher Jesus’". National Post.
  39. ↑ Rampton, James (April 26, 1996). "Guardian of the 11th commandment". The Independent. London. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  40. ↑ Obama's Bullying of Israel. The Huffington Post. March 18, 2010.
  41. ↑ Boteach, Shmuley (September 29, 2010). "A Spiritual Night in Hebron". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  42. ↑ "Jewish groups condemn Boteach 'genocide' ad on Susan Rice". Times of Israel. 1 March 2015.
  43. ↑ "Rabbi apologizes for ad accusing Susan Rice of being blind to genocide". 124 News. March 6, 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  44. ↑ Ben-Gedalyahu, Tzvi (March 2, 2015). "Rabbi Boteach Shoots Back at Critics and Calls Susan Rice a ‘Bully’". The Jewish Press. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  45. ↑ Hunter, Walker (April 11, 2012). "Run, Rabbi, Run! Shmuley Boteach Goes From Neverland to Capitol Hill". observer.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  46. ↑ Yarrow, Allison (April 12, 2012). "America's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Scores Eric Cantor's Endorsement". thedailybeast.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  47. ↑ Young, Elise (June 6, 2012). "Pascrell Wins U.S. House Primary, Faces Boteach in N.J. – Businessweek". businessweek.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  48. ↑ Dickter, Adam (November 6, 2012). "Pascrell Defeats Shmuley Boteach In Northern NJ Race". The Jewish Week. Gary Rosenblatt. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  49. ↑ 2012 House Races, Politico. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Michael Agosta		 Republican nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th District
2012 		Succeeded by
Michael Oren Epstein
Presumptive
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