Samuel Schafler
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Samuel Schafler (February 20, 1929 – April 3, 1991) was a New York-born
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 of ...
, historian, editor and Jewish educator. He was Superintendent of the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago and President of
Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. The president of the college i ...
in
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,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
.


Biography

Samuel (Shmuel) Schafler was born in
the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
in 1929. His father, Benjamin Schafler, and mother, Ethel (née Schnapp) owned a grocery store. Schafler studied at the
Yeshiva of Flatbush The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It educates students from age 2 to age 18 and includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary sc ...
, the Talmudical Academy and the Teachers Institute of
Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...
. Schafler grew up in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. He had one sister, Pearl. In 1951, he married Sara (née Edell) of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, then a student at the Teachers Institute of the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...
in New York, where Schafler was studying for the rabbinate. They had six children. In 1950, Schafler graduated with honors from the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
, where he was awarded the Cromwell Medal and the Nelson P. Mead Prize in History. Schafler was ordained as 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 i ...
rabbi in 1952. He pursued graduate work in Jewish history and education at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.


Rabbinic career

In 1952–1955, Schafler was rabbi of Knesseth Israel Synagogue in
Gloversville, New York Gloversville is a city in the Mohawk Valley region of Upstate New York, and the most populous city in Fulton County, New York, Fulton County. Gloversville was once the hub of the United States' glovemaking industry, with over two hundred manufac ...
. From 1955 to 1961, he was editor of two magazines, ''The Synagogue School'' and ''Dorenu: Our Age,'' and the associate editor of ''The Pedagogic Reporter.'' He also served as associate director of the
United Synagogue The United Synagogue (US) is a union of United Kingdom, British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 62 congregations (including 7 affiliates and 1 associate, ), comprising 40,000 members, it ...
Commission on Jewish Education and director of its Educational Placement Service. In 1961–1976, he was rabbi of Temple Gates of Prayer in
Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...
. During that time, he was active in the Flushing community and served as a Fellow in Community Planning for the Board of Jewish Education of New York. He was the educational director of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires in 1964–1966, Camp Ramah in Glen Spey, New York in 1967, and the Ramah Community Program in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
from 1968 to 1976.


Jewish education

As
Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
of the Chicago Board of Jewish Education from 1976 to 1987, he preached the need for ''Ahavat Yisrael,'' love of Jews for one another. He defined Ahavat Yisrael as "learning to love and respect Jews as they are, and not as you would like them to be." The historic sin of the American Jewish education profession, he charged, was its indifference to its own history. One of the failures of American Jewish education was its ignorance of the achievements of its pioneers and inability to chronicle its own successes. Schafler was a believer in the study of texts and felt that
cultural dissonance In sociology and cultural studies, cultural dissonance is a sense of discord, disharmony, confusion, or conflict experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment. The changes are often unexpected, unexplained or not unders ...
was a necessary factor in Jewish education, allowing for the expression of varying passions and commitments within Judaism.


Academic positions

In 1969, Schafler was a visiting professor at the Melton Center of Jewish Education at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. In 1973, he was awarded a doctorate in Jewish history from the Jewish Theological Seminary for his dissertation on "The Hasmoneans in Jewish Historiography." In 1974–1976, while serving as a rabbi in Flushing, Schafler was an assistant professor of Jewish History at
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...
,
City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
. In 1982, the Jewish Theological Seminary awarded him a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa. In 1987, Schafler was elected president of Hebrew College in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. He was the first pulpit rabbi to become president of a
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
college. He served in that position until his death from cancer in 1991.


Publications

*"Teaching Conservative Judaism and the Jewish Family" ''Conservative Judaism,'' Fall 1979 *"Observations on the History of Jewish Education in the United States" ''Jewish Education,'' New York, Fall 1981 *"Modern Zionism - An Historic Perspective" ''Judaism: A Quarterly of Jewish Life and Thought,'' Winter 1981 *"The Jewish Family: Perception and Realities - Can They Be Changed?" ''Journal of Jewish Communal Service,'' New York, 1983 *"Enemies or Jew Hater? Reflections on the History of Anti-semitism," ''Judaism,'' New York, Summer 1988 *"God and the Jewish School," ''Jewish Education'', New York, Spring 1989 *"Lovers of Zion in Japan," ''Congress Monthly,'' February 1990 *"Books Received," ''Jewish Education,'' New York, Spring-Summer 1991 *"Eichmann in My Hands," book review, ''Hadassah Magazine,'' October 1990 *''Guide for a Synagogue Religious Committee'' The United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismUSCJ: Guide for Religious Committees


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schafler, Samuel 1929 births 1991 deaths American Conservative rabbis Jewish education in the United States Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Yeshiva University alumni Yeshiva of Flatbush alumni 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians from New York (state) People from the Bronx 20th-century American rabbis 20th-century American male writers