International Rabbinic Fellowship
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International Rabbinic Fellowship
The International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) is a Modern Orthodox rabbinical organization founded by Rabbis Avi Weiss and Marc D. Angel in 2007 and soon elected Rabbi Barry Gelman as its president. The group is open to graduates of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The group's current president is Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot. The group is noted for being the only Orthodox rabbinical association to admit women rabbis as members. Overview IRF began as a fellowship of Orthodox rabbis and spiritual leaders associated with the Open Orthodox stream within Orthodox Judaism. The organization is viewed as a counterpart to the Rabbinical Council of America The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). It is the main pr ..., an established modern Orthodox association.Joffe, L. F. (2016). The impact of “foreign law” ba ...
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Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world. Modern Orthodoxy draws on several teachings and philosophies, and thus assumes various forms. In the United States, and generally in the Western world, ''Centrist Orthodoxy'' underpinned by the philosophy of ''Torah Umadda'' ("Torah and secular knowledge") is prevalent. In Israel, Modern Orthodoxy is dominated by Religious Zionism; however, although not identical, these movements share many of the same values and many of the same adherents.Charles S. Liebman''Modern orthodoxy in Israel''Judaism, Fall, 1998 Modern Orthodoxy Modern Orthodoxy comprises a fairly broad spectrum of movements; each movement draws upon several distinct, though related, philosophies, which (in some combination) provide the basis for all variations of the movement today. Characteristics In gene ...
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Avi Weiss
Avraham Haim Yosef (Avi) haCohen Weiss ( he, אברהם חיים יוסף הכהן ווייס; born June 24, 1944) is an American Open Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who led the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in The Bronx, New York until 2015. He is the founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah for men and Yeshivat Maharat for women, rabbinical seminaries that are tied to Open Orthodoxy, a breakaway movement that Weiss originated, which is to the left of Modern Orthodox Judaism and to the right of Conservative Judaism. He is co-founder of the International Rabbinic Fellowship, a rabbinical association that is a liberal alternative to the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America, and founder of the grassroots organization Coalition for Jewish Concerns – Amcha. '' Semikhah'' (rabbinical ordination) of women by Weiss' movement has been a source of friction within Orthodox Judaism. Early life and career Avi Weiss received his '' semikhah'' (rabbinical ...
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Marc D
Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of the State of Maryland, serving Maryland, Washington, D.C., and eastern West Virginia * MARC (archive), a computer-related mailing list archive * M/A/R/C Research, a marketing research and consulting firm * Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition, a non-profit, volunteer organization * Matador Automatic Radar Control, a guidance system for the Martin MGM-1 Matador cruise missile * Mid-America Regional Council, the Council of Governments and the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the bistate Kansas City region * Midwest Association for Race Cars, a former American stock car racing organization * Revolutionary Agrarian Movement of the Bolivian Peasantry (''Movimiento Agrario Revolucionario del Campesinado Boliviano''), a defunct right-w ...
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Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) is an Open Orthodox yeshiva, founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Currently located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, its mission is to educate and place rabbis who are "open, non-judgmental, knowledgeable, empathetic, and eager to transform Orthodoxy into a movement that meaningfully and respectfully interacts with all Jews, regardless of affiliation, commitment, or background." Its core values include a passionate commitment to the study of Torah and the tangential observance of halakha (Jewish law); intellectual openness and critical thinking in one's religious life; expanding the role of women; commitment to the broader Jewish community; and a responsibility to improve the world and to care for every human being in it regardless of faith. YCT's rabbinic education program combines a classical curriculum in Tanakh, Talmud, and the codes of Jewish law with a program in pastoral counseling, leadership retreats, e ...
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Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot
Nathaniel Helfgot (born April 30, 1963) is an American rabbi. He leads Congregation Netivot Shalom of Teaneck, New Jersey, and served as president of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. Early life Helfgot studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion for two years and later attended Yeshiva University, the Azrieli Graduate School, and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he obtained his '' semikhah'' (rabbinical ordination). Career Helfgot is the rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom, an Orthodox congregation in Teaneck, New Jersey.Yudelson, Larry (February 12, 2019"In NJ, Orthodox Rabbis Vote to Bar a Colleague for Training Female Clergy" ''The Times of Israel''. Retrieved July 2, 2019. He served as president of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. Helfgot has taught at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, the Frisch School, the Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School, and the Torah Academy of Bergen County, currently teaching at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and SAR ...
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Women Rabbis
Women rabbis are individual Jewish women who have studied Jewish Law and received rabbinical ordination. Women rabbis are prominent in Progressive Jewish denominations, however, the subject of women rabbis in Orthodox Judaism is more complex. Although Orthodox women have been ordained as rabbis, many major Orthodox Jewish communities and institutions do not accept the change. In an alternative approach, other Orthodox Jewish institutions train women as Torah scholars for various Jewish religious leadership roles. These roles typically involve training women as religious authorities in Jewish Law but without formal rabbinic ordination, instead, alternate titles are used. Yet, despite this alteration in title, these women are often perceived as equivalent to ordained rabbis.Auman, K. (2016). Feminism, Egalitarianism, Judaism: Where Are We Headed?. ''Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought'', ''49''(1), 43-48. Since the 1970s, over 1,200 Jewish women have been ordained as rab ...
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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 the rabbi developed in the Pharisaic (167 BCE–73 CE) and Talmudic (70–640 CE) eras, when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi" was first used in the first century CE. In more recent centuries, the duties of a rabbi became increasingly influenced by the duties of the Protestant Christian minister, hence the title " pulpit rabbis", and in 19th-century Germany and the United States rabbinic activities including sermons, pastoral counseling, and representing the community to the outside, all increased in importance. Within the various Jewish denominations, there are different requirements for rabbinic ordination, and differences in opinion regarding who is recognized as a rabbi. For ex ...
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Open Orthodox
Open Orthodoxy is a Jewish religious movement with increased emphasis on intellectual openness and a more expansive role for women. The term was coined in 1997 by Avi Weiss, who views ''halakha'' (Jewish law) as permitting more flexibility than the traditional practices of Orthodox Judaism. Weiss opened Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (a rabbinical school for men) in 1999 and later also Yeshivat Maharat for training women clergy. In 2007, Weiss co-founded the International Rabbinic Fellowship for Open Orthodox rabbis, and in 2015 he and Asher Lopatin, YCT's president, resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). The movement's ordination of women is a source of friction. Overview Weiss's desire for a Judaism that is more inclusive and open-minded than the prevailing norms led him to found new learning institutions to train clergy who would be able to employ this new vision: Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) to train new rabbis who will be "open, non-judgmental, ...
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Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and faithfully transmitted ever since. Orthodox Judaism, therefore, advocates a strict observance of Jewish law, or ''halakha'', which is to be interpreted and determined exclusively according to traditional methods and in adherence to the continuum of received precedent through the ages. It regards the entire ''halakhic'' system as ultimately grounded in immutable revelation, and beyond external influence. Key practices are observing the Sabbath, eating kosher, and Torah study. Key doctrines include a future Messiah who will restore Jewish practice by building the temple in Jerusalem and gathering all the Jews to Israel, belief in a future bodily resurrection of the dead, divine reward and punishment for the righteous and ...
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Rabbinical Council Of America
The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). It is the main professional rabbinical association within Modern Orthodox in the United States. Most rabbis of the RCA belong to Modern Orthodox Judaism. History The roots of the organization go back to 1923 when it was founded as the Rabbinical Council of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Its purpose was to perpetuate and promote Orthodox Judaism in the United States of America. Its members attempted on a number of occasions to merge with other Jewish groups, for the purpose of developing a unified traditional rabbinate for the American Jewish community. A number of attempts were made to join with groups such as Agudat Israel, but all such attempts were rebuffed. A merger took place in 1935 between the Rabbinical Council of the U ...
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Open Orthodox Judaism
Open Orthodoxy is a Jewish religious movement with increased emphasis on intellectual openness and a more expansive role for women. The term was coined in 1997 by Avi Weiss, who views ''halakha'' (Jewish law) as permitting more flexibility than the traditional practices of Orthodox Judaism. Weiss opened Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (a rabbinical school for men) in 1999 and later also Yeshivat Maharat for training women clergy. In 2007, Weiss co-founded the International Rabbinic Fellowship for Open Orthodox rabbis, and in 2015 he and Asher Lopatin, YCT's president, resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). The movement's ordination of women is a source of friction. Overview Weiss's desire for a Judaism that is more inclusive and open-minded than the prevailing norms led him to found new learning institutions to train clergy who would be able to employ this new vision: Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) to train new rabbis who will be "open, non-judgmental, ...
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Rabbinical Organizations
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian Talmud. Rabbinic Judaism has its roots in Pharisaic Judaism and is based on the belief that Moses at Mount Sinai received both the Written Torah (''Torah she-be-Khetav'') and the Oral Torah (''Torah she-be-al Peh'') from God. The Oral Torah, transmitted orally, explains the Written Torah. At first, it was forbidden to write down the Oral Torah because the rabbis feared that it would become rigid and lose its flexibility, but after the destruction of the Second Temple they decided to write it down in the Talmud and other rabbinic texts. Rabbinic Judaism contrasts with the Sadducees, Karaite Judaism and Samaritanism, which do not recognize the Oral Torah as a divine authority nor the rabbinic procedures used to interpret Jewish scripture. ...
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