Harold M. Schulweis

Harold M. Schulweis
Born April 14, 1925
The Bronx, New York City
Died December 18, 2014
Encino, California
Cause of death heart disease
Education Yeshiva University
Jewish Theological Seminary
New York University
Pacific School of Religion
Occupation Rabbi

Harold M. Schulweis (April 14, 1925 – December 18, 2014) was an American rabbi and author. He was the longtime spiritual Leader at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California.

Biography

Schulweis was born in Bronx, New York in 1925 to secular parents who respected Zionism and Jewish traditions. His father was an editor of the The Jewish Daily Forward. His early Jewish education was influenced by his grandfather, Rabbi Avraham Rezak, who introduced him to the Talmud. In 1945, Schulweis graduated Yeshiva University with a degree in philosophy. Later Schulweis enrolled in the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he studied under Mordecai Kaplan and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Schulweis also studied philosophy at New York University, where he met his wife Malkah. He received a doctorate in theology from the Pacific School of Religion.[1]

Rabbinical career

Schulweis's first pulpit was Temple Beth Abraham, a Conservative Jewish congregation in Oakland, California in 1952. Among the innovations he introduced was the inclusion of women in minyanim and bat mitzvah ceremonies for girls. Instead of sermons, he used the allotted time for questions and answers. Schulweis has been criticized by the religious right for his interfaith and conversion programs, and open inclusion of homosexuals. Rabbi Meir Kahane criticized Schulweis for allowing a pro-PLO Arab Knesset member to speak at his synagogue, while refusing to extend the same opportunity to Kahane, who was also a Knesset member at the time.[2] Newsweek magazine called him "the leading Conservative rabbi of his generation" and placed him 13th on their list of the Top 50 Rabbis in America. Though he is affiliated with the Conservative Movement he is considered a leading authority and theologian of Reconstructionist Judaism today.

Human rights and Jewish activism

Schulweis founded the Jewish World Watch, a human rights watch group. He was instrumental in the creation of the Chavurah movement in the late 1960s.[3] Schulweis served as technical advisor for Judaism-themed episodes of The Simpsons.[4]

In 1986, Schulweis established the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) (originally called the Institute for Righteous Acts) to fulfill the traditional Jewish commitment to hakarat hatov, the searching out and recognition of goodness, by assisting Righteous Gentiles who are in need. The JFR started out funding eight rescuers, and that number quickly grew, reaching 1,750. Currently, the JFR supports more than 850 aged and needy rescuers in 23 countries. The Foundation also pursues a national Holocaust education program. The goal of the program is to educate middle and high school teachers about the history of the Holocaust and to provide them with the resources to integrate this knowledge into their classrooms.[5]

Death

Schulweis had heart disease for many years, and died at his home in Encino, California on December 18, 2014. He was 89.[1]

Published works

Articles

Articles in Sh'ma Magazine

Full list on BJPA.org

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tom Tugend, "Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, ‘Rabbi of Rabbis’ and world-renowned Jewish leader, dies at 89", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, December 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ Uncomfortable Questions for Comfortable Jews, Meir Kahane, p.40
  3. ↑ Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis Biography from Valley Beth Shalom
  4. ↑ Springfield Nuclear Power Plant:Episodes:8F05
  5. ↑ "History". The Jewish Foundation of the Righteous. Retrieved 2011-06-23.

External links

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