Harold M. Schulweis (April 14, 1925 – December 18, 2014) was an American

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 ...

and author. He was the longtime spiritual Leader at

Valley Beth Shalom Valley Beth Shalom (informally called VBS) is a Conservative synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With approximately 1,500 member families it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogu ...

in Encino, California.

Biography

Schulweis was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1925 to secular parents who respected

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

and Jewish traditions. His father was an editor of ''

The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, '' ...

''. His early Jewish education was influenced by his grandfather, Rabbi Avraham Rezak, who introduced him to the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

. In 1945, Schulweis graduated

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

with a degree in philosophy. Later Schulweis enrolled in the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he studied under

Mordecai Kaplan Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (born Mottel Kaplan; June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983), was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist ...

and

Abraham Joshua Heschel Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish T ...

. Schulweis also studied philosophy at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, where he met his wife Malkah. He received a doctorate in theology from the

Pacific School of Religion The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the school ...

.Tom Tugend
"Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, ‘Rabbi of Rabbis’ and world-renowned Jewish leader, dies at 89"
''

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 ...

'', December 18, 2014.

Rabbinical career

Schulweis's first pulpit was Temple Beth Abraham, a

Conservative Jewish Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

congregation in Oakland, California, in 1952. Among the innovations he introduced were the inclusion of women in

minyan In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( he, מניין \ מִנְיָן ''mīnyān'' , lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Ju ...

im 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. The ultra nationalist Rabbi

Meir Kahane Meir David HaKohen Kahane (; he, רבי מאיר דוד הכהן כהנא ; born Martin David Kahane; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was an American-born Israeli ordained Orthodox rabbi, writer, and ultra-nationalist politician who serv ...

criticized Schulweis for allowing a pro- PLO

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...

member to speak at his synagogue, while refusing to extend the same opportunity to Kahane, who was also a Knesset member at the time.

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 ...

magazine called him "the leading Conservative rabbi of his generation" and placed him 13th on their list of the Top 50 Rabbis in America. He was affiliated with the Conservative Movement and considered to have been a leading authority and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Reconstructionist Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than a religion, based on concepts developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream w ...

as well.

Human rights and Jewish activism

Schulweis was instrumental in the creation of the

Chavurah A ''chavurah'' or ''chaburah'' (חבורה Hebrew: "fellowship", plural ''chavurot'') is a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of facilitating Shabbat and holiday prayer services, sharing communal experiences such as life ...

movement in the late 1960s. He served as technical advisor for

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

-themed episodes of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''. In 1986 rabbi Harold Schulweis,

Malka Drucker Malka Drucker (born March 14, 1945) is an American rabbi and author living in Santa Barbara, California. Overview Ordained in 1998 from the Academy for Jewish Religion, a transdenominational seminary, Drucker is the founding rabbi of HaMakom: T ...

and Gay Block decided to document activities of non-Jewish Europeans who risked torture and death to save Jews during the Holocaust, a topic they considered both important and under-publicized. Their work would eventually led to a book ('' Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust''), as well as an exhibition of Block's photographs. Also in 1986, Schulweis established the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (originally called the Institute for Righteous Acts) to fulfill the traditional Jewish commitment to

Hakarat HaTov Hakarat HaTov (or Hakaras HaTov; ), is the Hebrew term for gratitude. It literally means "recognizing the good". Etymology The Hebrew word means "to recognize" and the word ''tov'' means "good" or "goodness". History The word "Jew" is derived ...

, the searching out and recognition of goodness, by assisting

righteous gentiles Righteous gentile may refer to: * '' Noachide'', a gentile who follows the Seven Laws of Noah * ''Ger toshav,'' ("resident alien") gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who follows the Seven Laws of Noah * Righteous Among the Nations R ...

who are in need. The foundation started out funding eight rescuers, and that number quickly grew, reaching 1,750. It currently 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. In 2004, Schulweis co-founded

Jewish World Watch Jewish World Watch (JWW) is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping survivors of genocide and mass atrocities around the world. Mission JWW is primarily focused on the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, My ...

, a non-profit human rights watch group, with his long-time friend and congregant Janice Kamenir-Reznik.

Death

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

Published works

* ''Evil and the Morality of God,'' (1983) * ''In God's Mirror: Reflections and Essays,'' (1990) * ''For Those Who Can't Believe: Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith,'' (1994) * ''Meditations and Prayers for the Renewal of the Body and the Renewal of the Spirit,'' (2000) * ''Finding Each Other in Judaism: Meditations on the Rites of Passage from Birth to Immortality,'' (2001) * ''When You Lie Down and When You Rise Up: Nightstand Meditations,'' (2001) * ''Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey,'' (2008)

Articles

We Dare Not Murder Memories of Genocide

Articles in Sh'ma Magazine

Hope and Faith
(2004)
Confronting the Angel of Death
(1996)
When Lucy Cohen's Mother Is Not Jewish
(1994)
If I Were an Orthodox Rabbi
(1989)
Jewish Isolation After the Holocaust
(1988)
Polarizing Movements-and Our People
(1985)
The Limits of Spero's Argument
(1983)
When Ethics and Halacha Collide
(1979)
We Need Women Conservative Rabbis
(1979)
When Dissent is Not a Virtue
(1976
Full list
on BJPA.org

Filmography

Like Father, Like Clown "Like Father, Like Clown" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 24, 1991. In the episode, Krusty the Clown reve ...

(

Season Three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

, Episode 6) - Special Technical Consultant

Awards

* 2008:

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.American philosophy American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The '' Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can never ...

List of American philosophers This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States. {, border="0" style="margin:auto;" class="toccolours" , - ! {{MediaWiki:Toc , - , style="text-al ...

References

External links

Jewish World Watch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulweis, Harold M. 1925 births 2014 deaths American Conservative rabbis American Reconstructionist rabbis Philosophers of Judaism American Jewish theologians Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients New York University alumni Yeshiva University alumni People from the Bronx Pacific School of Religion alumni 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis