Kalman Packouz was an

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 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 t ...

who pioneered various

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish educational initiatives geared towards ''

baalei teshuva In Judaism, a ''ba'al teshuvah'' (; for a woman, , or ; plural, , , 'owner of return God or his way]') is a Jew who adopts some form of traditional religious observance after having previously followed a Jewish secularism, secular lifestyle or ...

'' ("returnee to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

") outreach.

Biography

Packouz was raised in Portland, Oregon, and attended Temple Beth Israel, a Reform temple. In 1979, after receiving rabbinical ordination 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 ...

, Packouz started the first

Aish HaTorah Aish, formerly known as Aish HaTorah (Hebrew: אש התורה, lit. "Fire of the Torah"), is a Jewish educational organization. The focus of Aish is the spread of traditional Jewish religious teachings and culture to Jews around the globe, util ...

branch in St. Louis. Packouz served for ten years as executive director of Aish HaTorah international operations, and was head of the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

office of Aish HaTorah's worldwide programs. He was a contributor to simpletoremember.com. He was also a special correspondent for the ''

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...

''. He was married and the father of nine children, including former international arms dealer and inventor

David Packouz David Mordechai Packouz ( born February 17, 1982) is an American former arms dealer, convicted fraudster, musician and inventor. Packouz joined Efraim Diveroli on the 17th of September 2005, in Diveroli's arms company AEY Inc. By the end of ...

. Packouz died in 2019.

Intermarriage book

Packouz spoke out on Jewish continuity through marriage, and in 1976 authored the book, ''How to Stop an Intermarriage''. The book was later expanded and retitled as: ''How to Prevent an Intermarriage - A Guide For Parents to Prevent Broken Hearts''.

Shabbat Shalom Weekly

In 1992, Packouz launched the Shabbat Shalom Weekly, an electronic publication distributed each week via fax and email.

Kotel Webcam

In 1997, Packouz created Window on the Wall, a 24-hour live webcam from the

Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...

in Jerusalem.

References

External links

Shabbat Shalom WeeklyWindow on the Western Wall, Israel How to Stop an Intermarriage Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Packouz, Kalman Rabbis of Aish HaTorah American Haredi rabbis American male non-fiction writers American Orthodox rabbis Jewish American non-fiction writers Year of birth missing 2019 deaths 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis