Joseph Ehrenkranz (May 7, 1926 – February 23, 2014) was an American
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
rabbi.
Life and career
Ehrenkranz was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Yeshiva University in 1949. Ehrenkranz was the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Agudath Sholom in
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, where, from 1948 until 1992, he served as the congregation's spiritual leader and built it into a large, influential, and dynamic Orthodox community.
From 1992 until his retirement in July 2007, he was the executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, of which he was one of the co-founders. He was replaced by Rabbi
Eugene Korn
Rabbi Doctor Eugene B. Korn (born 1947) is a lecturer, scholar and educator. He lives in Jerusalem and was formerly Academic Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) in Jerusalem. He was also co-director of ...
. He is known for the prominent role which he has played in Jewish-Catholic dialogue.
Ehrenkranz was the
Synagogue Council of America The Synagogue Council of America was an American Jewish organization of synagogue and rabbinical associations, founded in 1926. The Council was the umbrella body bridging the three primary religious movements within Judaism in the United States. It ...
's representative to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
On October 14, 2010, he was presented with CCJU's Nostra Aetate Award for "his outstanding contributions to a world at peace". In 2011, he made
Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
to Israel.
Personal life and death
Ehrenkranz was a cousin by marriage and close advisor to politician Joe Lieberman, and his work was praised by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. Among his grandchildren is the actor Raviv Ullman.
Ehrenkranz died on February 23, 2014, at the age of 87.
Publications
* ''Interfaith Dialogue: The Theory and the Practice'' (with Rabbi Eugene Korn)
* ''Religion, Woman and Family''