Isser Yehuda Unterman (; 19 April 1886 – 26 January 1976) was the third chief rabbi of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, and later the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

from 1964 until 1972. He was a leader of the Mizrachi movement and was awarded the Rabbi Kook Prize for Rabbinic Literature in 1954.Isser Yehuda Unterman (1886–1976) biography
referenced t
The Department for Jewish Zionist Education

Biography

Born in Brisk, he was the son of Eliyahu and Sheina Unterman. He was named after the city's rabbi, Rabbi Isser Yehuda Malin, who had died about ten years earlier in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. In his childhood, he was considered a prodigy and studied with the local rabbi and dayan Simcha Zelig Riger. In 1898, at age 12, he was invited to be part of the founding core of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Maletz under the leadership of Rabbi Zalman Sender Kahana Shapira. He briefly studied at the Mir Yeshiva but returned to Maletz, where he became a prominent student of Rabbi Shimon Shkop. After his marriage to Rachel Leah Yellin, he studied at the kollel of Volozhin Yeshiva, where he was also ordained as a rabbi by Rabbi Raphael Shapiro, the head of the yeshiva. During his studies in Volozhin, Rabbi Unterman opened a yeshiva in the nearby town of Vishnevo and served as a rabbi in several Lithuanian communities, including Mohilev and Mstibovo. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a rabbi in Lunovlya and later in

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

. Rabbi Unterman was a Zionist and one of the prominent rabbis who supported the ideology of the Mizrachi. In 1922, at the third Mizrachi conference in Poland, he delivered a central speech opposing the Uganda Plan, stating: In 1923, under the influence of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski, leader of Litvak Jewry, Rabbi Unterman moved to England and served as the rabbi of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He quickly overcame the language barrier and became an active figure in the local Jewish community. He established an umbrella organization for all the Jewish communities in the area, brought in students from Europe to strengthen the local yeshiva, and founded the Liverpool Academy for Torah Studies. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rabbi Unterman worked on behalf of Jewish refugees from Germany who were treated as enemy subjects by England. He risked himself by visiting them in detention and visiting members of his community who were dispersed to find shelter. After the passing of Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel in 1945, Rabbi Unterman was appointed as the Ashkenazi rabbi of

. He refused to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael using the general immigration quota and instead received a special immigration permit from the British as a "British expert in the rabbinate." In Tel Aviv, Rabbi Unterman established a kolel named "Shevet Meyehuda" and wrote halachic responses and various articles, compiling his main responses in his work: ''Shevet M'Yehuda''. Together with the Sephardi rabbi of the city, Yaakov Moshe Toledano, he founded the special court for agunot issues. Rabbi Unterman also served as a dayan in the Great Rabbinical Court. In 1955, he was elected to the Chief Rabbinate Council, and on

Nisan Nisan (or Nissan; from ) in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is an Akkadian language borrowing, although it ultimately originates in Sumerian ''nisag' ...

3, 5724 – March 16, 1964, he was elected as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, defeating Rabbi Goren by three votes. Rabbi Unterman served in this position until 1972, when he lost the election to Rabbi Shlomo Goren, an outcome he interpreted as a dismissal. Rabbi Unterman passed away in 1976 and was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Streets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Petah Tikva, and Netanya are named after him. He was married to Rachel Leah (née Yellin), and they had seven children. One of his sons, Baruch, served as a director at Bar-Ilan University. One of his granddaughters, Reva Mann, recalls his tolerance, saying that even though she did not observe Torah and mitzvot, her grandfather "loved her unconditionally."

Halachic rulings and approach

Rabbi Unterman was a classic Litvak scholar deeply influenced by the unique halachic approach of his teacher, Rabbi Shimon Shkop, as reflected in his classes and halachic responses—discussions based on logical reasoning and the use of logical tools typical of his mentor. On the other hand, unlike Rabbi Shkop, Rabbi Unterman also addressed contemporary halachic issues of his time (many of which remain relevant today), such as: ascending the Temple Mount, conversion, marriage prohibitions, mitzvot dependent on the land, drafting women to the IDF, and many others. Compared to other Orthodox rabbis of his time, Rabbi Unterman was considered a liberal posek. For example: * When a woman offered her hand in greeting, Rabbi Unterman shook her hand, saying, "I am not lenient about touching, but I am strict about human dignity." * Another example is his lenient approach toward accepting converts from the immigrants of the Soviet Union, about whom he wrote: Regarding new halachic issues concerning technological and scientific aspects, his approach tended to be lenient, for example, on organ donation. Initially, Rabbi Unterman (like most rabbis of his time) believed it was forbidden, but after it was proven that death could be determined scientifically and accurately, he permitted organ transplants and even introduced an argument to allow benefiting from a dead body, which remains used by contemporary halachic authorities. He also wrote in response to Rabbi Ketheriel Fishel Tikhuresh's article about the question posed by Bar-Ilan University on using embryonic stem cells: Rabbi Unterman supported the recitation of Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut, but since we do not have the authority that the sages had to establish new blessings, he hesitated about whether to recite the blessing before Hallel, invoking the name of God. On the other hand, on Jerusalem Day, Rabbi Unterman argued that Hallel should be recited with a blessing, as it is a celebration of a transition from death to life.Rabbi Yehuda Amital
The Day of Hafatzeiva
- Jerusalem Day Talk, 5757. Nevertheless, he asserted that Yom Ha'atzmaut takes precedence over Jerusalem Day because Yom Ha'atzmaut symbolizes human revival, while Jerusalem Day is a miracle of divine providence.

Writings

* ''Shevet mi-Yehudah'' (1952) - on issues in halakhah

References

External links

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Unterman, Isser Yehuda 1886 births 1976 deaths Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Ashkenazi rabbis in Ottoman Palestine Israeli Ashkenazi Jews 20th-century Lithuanian rabbis Chief rabbis of Israel Chief rabbis of Tel Aviv Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Rabbis from Brest, Belarus Belarusian Orthodox Jews Israeli people of Belarusian-Jewish descent 20th-century English rabbis Clergy from Liverpool 20th-century Israeli rabbis

Biography

Halachic rulings and approach

Further reading

Writings

References

External links