Haim Yitshak Ehrenberg (Hebrew: חיים יצחק ארנברג), born February 10, 1950, in

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, is

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 ...

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. He previously served as Rabbi of

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

(1990-1997).

Biography

Ehrenberg was born on February 10, 1950, in

. His parents, Yechiel Michel and Tzipora Ehrenberg, were born in Israel to

chassidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those affi ...

families which had been in Israel for many generations. When he was 5, the family moved from Yaffa to Bnei Braq where he grew up. His father was a businessman in the diamond processing industry. Ehrenberg is the second of three sons. His older brother, Jaakov, still resides in Bnei Braq. His younger brother, Moshe Pinchas Ehrenberg, died 1987 in a car crash near

Petach Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Jews of the Old Yishuv, and became a permanent settlement i ...

, Israel. After his

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

, he went to study in Yeshivat Hasharon, a yeshiva ktana, and afterwards at the age of 16, he decided to join the Yeshivat "Harey Yehuda" in

Beit Meir Beit Meir () is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located around nine miles from Jerusalem, just off the Highway 1, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council Mateh Yehuda Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Ye ...

near Jerusalem. The Rosh Yeshiva (and founder) of "Harey Yehuda" and later his father-in-law, Rabbi Tzvi Kahana (1921-1996), was to become his main influence and spiritual mentor who shaped Ehrenberg in his early years. In 1970, Ehrenberg married Nechama, the first daughter of the Rosh Yeshiva and the couple moved to the city of

Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...

. In 1975, after a five-year program of studies, teachings and social activism as part of a

talmudic The Talmud (; ) 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 centerpiece of Jewi ...

institution in Ashkelon, Ehrenberg was ordained as Rabbi by the Chief Rabbi of Ashkelon, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Blau. Following his ordination in 1975, Ehrenberg returned to "Harey Yehuda" in Beit Meir to become teacher in the Yeshiva. During this period he also took an active role together with Rabbi Kahana in the administration of the Yeshiva.

Rabbinical career

In 1983, Ehrenberg moved to

Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, where he first served as Rabbi of the Mizrachi community, a position which he held until 1989. In 1989, Ehrenberg moved with his family to Munich, Germany, where he served as Rabbi between the years 1989 and 1997. Since 1997, Rabbi Ehrenberg has been Orthodox Jewish Community Rabbi of Berlin, Germany. Rabbi Ehrenberg is a member of the

Conference of European Rabbis The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) is the primary Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbinical alliance in Europe. It unites more than 700 religious leaders of the mainstream synagogue communities in Europe. It was founded in 1956 on the initiati ...

standing committee. In 2003, Rabbi Ehrenberg co-founded th
ORD
(Orthodox Rabbi-Conference of Germany) which goal it has been to facilitate the cooperation of German Rabbis for a continuous development of Jewish Orthodox life in Germany. Ehrenberg served as Chairman of the ORD from its establishment until 2010.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrenberg, Yitshak 1950 births German Orthodox rabbis Living people Rabbis from Berlin