Brad Hirschfield (born 1963)Adam Phillips

, ''

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the State media, state-owned news network and International broadcasting, international radio broadcaster of the United States, United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international br ...

'', December 10, 2009. is a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

, author, and president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL). Hirschfield was ranked three years in a row in ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' as one of America's "50 Most Influential Rabbis""50 Influential Rabbis"
''

'', April 30, 2009. and recognized as a leading “Preacher & Teacher” by Beliefnet.com.

Biography

Hirschfield received his rabbinical ordination from the

Institute of Traditional Judaism The Institute of Traditional Judaism, also known as The Metivta or the ITJ, was the rabbinical school sponsored by the Union for Traditional Judaism. The Institute of Traditional Judaism was established in 1990. It was positioned to the left of ...

.Johanna Ginsberg
"A rabbi’s journey to tolerance"
, ''New Jersey Jewish News'', January 31, 2008. He received his M.A. and M. Phil from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

institution, and his B.A. from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. He self-identifies as an Orthodox rabbi.Brad Hirschfield official website
(accessed June 17, 2010)."Clal Faculty: Rabbi Brad Hirschfield
, National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership website, February 27, 2010 (accessed June 17, 2010). Hirschfield was raised in a secular Jewish home but began to pursue a more traditionally observant life as a teenager thus becoming a

baal teshuva In Judaism, a ''ba'al teshuvah'' ( he, בעל תשובה; for a woman, , or ; plural, , , 'master of return God_in_Judaism.html"_;"title="o_God_in_Judaism">God)_is_a_Jew_who_adopts_some_form_of_traditional_religious_observance_after_having_previ ...

. He moved to Israel and became involved with a settler group near

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

. Becoming disenchanted with this approach, he returned to the United States, where he met and worked for Orthodox rabbi and CLAL founder

Irving Greenberg Irving Yitzchak Greenberg (born May 16, 1933), also known as Yitz Greenberg, is an American scholar, author and rabbi. He is known as a strong supporter of Israel, and a promoter of greater understanding between Judaism and Christianity. Early ...

. He went on to pursue his own rabbinical studies, and became a proponent of interfaith dialogue and pluralist attitudes.Amy Klein
"Ex-JDL member urges faith without fanaticism"
''

Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. ''The Journal'' wa ...

'', February 28, 2008. Hirschfield is the current president of Clal - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, which describes itself as "A leadership training institute, think tank and resource center committed to religious pluralism and the healthier use of religion in American public life." in 2002 Hirschfield was featured on ABC's ''

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...

UpClose'', and PBS's ''Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero'' In 2009 he was interviewed on the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

program '' Tell Me More'', and in 2010 for the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

's ''The Spirit of Things'' hosted by Rachael Kohn.

Works

Hirschfield is the editor of ''Remember for Life: Holocaust Survivors’ Stories of Faith and Hope'' and a co-author of ''Embracing Life & Facing Death: A Jewish Guide to Palliative Care''. In 2008 he published ''You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism'', described by a reviewer in '' The Christian Century'' as "a breathtaking treatise on the perils of rigid religious behavior". Hirschfield conceived and hosted two series for Bridges TV, an American Muslim television network: ''Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on the World Today'' (three seasons) and ''American Pilgrimage''. With his CLAL co-president

Irwin Kula Irwin Kula (born November 29, 1957) is an American rabbi and author, currently serving as the president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL). In 2008, he was listed as 7th in ''Newsweek''’s “50 most influential ra ...

he co-hosts a weekly radio show called ''Hirschfield and Kula'' on KXL in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

. Hirschfield writes a column, "For God’s Sake," for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''’s ''On Faith'' section. He writes the "Windows and Doors" blog for

Beliefnet Beliefnet is a lifestyle website featuring editorial content related to the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news, and entertainment. History Launched in 1999 by Steven Waldman and Robert Nylen, Beliefnet ...

, where he is featured as a "Preacher and Teacher." He is a regular commentator on ethical issues for

truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that ...

. He was featured, along with students and professors from the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

religious studies program, in a documentary entitled, ''Freaks Like Me'', on the subject of religion in the age of terrorism.

Public positions

Hirschfield has expressed concern on the lifting of the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the

Society of Saint Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; FSSPX) is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the S ...

.Pope Benedict: Panderer or Creative Community Builder?
/ref>

References

External links

The Wisdom DailyHirschfield and Kula Intelligent Talk Radio website"For God's Sake" Blog
at ''

''
Articles by Brad Hirschfield
on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
"Windows & Doors" Blog
at

CLAL website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschfield, Brad American Orthodox rabbis Baalei teshuva University of Chicago alumni Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni Living people 1963 births 20th-century Jewish theologians 21st-century Jewish theologians American Jewish theologians 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Union for Traditional Judaism