Rabbi Yosef Yeshaya Braun is 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 ...

and a member of the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Hasidic 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 aff ...

movement. Rabbi Braun serves as a member of the Beth Din of

Crown Heights Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard to the so ...

, the Bais Din Tzedek (Jewish Rabbinical Court) of the Jewish community in

Crown Heights, Brooklyn Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue (New York City), Atlantic Avenue to the north, ...

; he is an authority on

Halacha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mi ...

(Jewish law) and Hasidic philosophy."Elected Rov: Rabbi Yossi Braun". ''Collive.com''.
/ref>''Beis Moshiach Magazine''.
/ref> Rabbi Braun previously served as the rabbi of the Tzemach Tzedek Synagogue in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Rabbi of Crown Heights

As a member of the Crown Heights Beth Din (rabbinical court), Rabbi Braun one of the community's Marah D'Asra (Aramaic מרא דאתרא, a title equivalent to "Chief Rabbi"). The rabbinical court is the spiritual and religious body governing the Crown Heights Jewish community. There are currently three rabbis serving on the Beth Din: * Rabbi Avraham Osdoba * Rabbi Yosef Heller (Emeritus, as he has recused himself from all communal affairs) *Rabbi Yosef Yeshaya Braun Each member of the court holds the title ''Marah D'Asra''. The Crown Heights rabbinical court is funded by the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC), a religious corporation representing the Jewish community of Crown Heights.

Appointment

Rabbi Braun was elected in a community wide election. He ran against Moshe Bogomilsky. Braun won the election with over 50 percent of the vote to Bogomilsky's 45 percent, a third candidate received the rest. Rabbi Braun's appointment was also affirmed by an independent arbitration panel (Zabl"a Bais Din). as well as secular court.

Banning of Call of the Shofar

In December 2013, Rabbis Yosef Braun and Yaakov Schwei issued a letter stating that attending programs run by

Call of the Shofar Call of the Shofar was an organization based in Baltimore, US, focusing on personal and relational transformation. Call of the Shofar offers workshops assisting individuals to enhance their personal relationships. The organization's director is ...

, a Jewish LGAT group based in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, is forbidden under Jewish law. They were later joined by the "Central Committee of Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbis in the United States and Canada," also known as Vaad Rabbonei Lubavitch who also banned COTS

Controversies

Following his election to the Crown Heights Beth Din, a number of controversial incidents occurred, involving Rabbi Braun and other members of the Beth Din.

Eligibility as community rabbi

Several rabbis associated with Rabbi Osdoba have stated that Rabbi Braun is not qualified to serve as a community rabbi."Scathing Letter Against Rov". ''Collive.com''.
/ref> Rabbi Braun's

rabbinical ordination ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal Oral Torah#Rabbinic thought, "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' cease ...

has also come under scrutiny; some have questioned the legitimacy of his ordination., however after reviewing objection brought by Rabbi Osdoba, the arbitration panel (Zabl"a) ruled that Rabbi Braun's rabbinic ordination is valid, stating "The semicha is a kosher semicha, it is not forged. Therefore this remains an absolute semicha... In light of the above, it is clear that Rabbi Yosef Shaya Braun shlita was elected in accordance with halacha. The entire public must honor him and all the other rabbis of the community must cooperate with him,etc., etc." This ruling was later upheld in secular court, stating: the Rosenberg Beth Din rejected, over Rabbi Osdoba's objection, all challenges to Rabbi Braun's qualifications, finding that Rabbi Braun had been properly ordained... The Rosenberg Beth Din further rejected related challenges to Rabbi Braun's qualifications.

Challenge over the CHK

Some supporters of Rabbi Braun challenged Rabbi Osdoba over his privatization of the Crown Heights Kashrus (CHK), a

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

certification Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

, arguing that the arbitration panel (Zabl"a) ruled that it should be run by a board of directors "There is a need to create a new Vaad HaKashrus, which shall be the executive body of the Rabbis and the Vaad Hakohol." The court however remanded this ruling back to the arbitration panel for clarification which is yet to reconvene In July 2019 Rabbis Osdoba, Schwei and Braun settled their differences and reunited as one Beth Din with one Kashrut agency.

References

External links

CHJCC directory for the Beth DinInterview with Rabbi BraunSpeech by Braun following his election
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Yosef Yeshaya Living people 21st-century American rabbis American Hasidic rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis Year of birth missing (living people)