Emanuel Feldman (born August 26, 1927)
is an
Orthodox Jewish
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 M ...
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 ...
and rabbi emeritus of
Congregation Beth Jacob of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. During his nearly 40 years as a congregational rabbi, he oversaw the growth of the Orthodox community in Atlanta from a community small enough to support two small Orthodox synagogues
(and one nominally Orthodox one, Shearith Israel, which eventually became
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
), to a community large enough to support
Jewish day schools,
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...
s, girls schools and a
kollel
A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
. He is a past vice-president of 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 p ...
and former editor of ''
Tradition: The Journal of Orthodox Jewish thought'' published by the RCA. He is the older brother of Rabbi
Aharon Feldman
Rabbi Aharon Feldman (born 1932) is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Ner Israel Rabbinical College) in Baltimore, Maryland. He has held this position since 2001. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei ...
,
rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Ner Yisroel,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
.
Early life and education
Emanuel is the eldest of three sons born to Rabbi Joseph H. Feldman,
a native of
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and scion of a rabbinical family.
Joseph Feldman served as a rabbi in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
in the 1930s, but left that post to assume the helm of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's Franklin Street Synagogue so his sons could attend a Hebrew day school.
Emanuel entered the day school in 1938. After eighth-grade graduation, he attended public school and studied Hebrew subjects with his father and principal in the afternoons.
At the age of 15 he entered
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or ''Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin'' ( he, יְשִׁיבַת רַבֵּינוּ חַיִּים בֶּרלִין) is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York.
Chaim Berlin consis ...
for a year of high school,
and from age 16 to 24 he studied at
Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, where he received his
rabbinical ordination in 1952. That same year, he earned his
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
degree from
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
,
having earlier completed a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree at that university.
In 1971 Feldman earned his
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
in religion from
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
.
Congregational rabbi
In 1952, Feldman assumed his first and only pulpit,
that of Congregation Beth Jacob of Atlanta. That same year, he married his wife, Estelle,
and brought his bride to Atlanta.
At the time, the synagogue had 40 families, only two of whom were
Shomer Shabbat
In Judaism, a person who is shomer Shabbat or shomer Shabbos (plural ''shomré Shabbat'' or ''shomrei Shabbos''; he, שומר שבת, "Sabbath observer", sometimes more specifically, "Saturday Sabbath observer") is a person who observes the mit ...
. While other Orthodox synagogues in Atlanta were moving away from Orthodoxy, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Feldman tried to nurture Torah observance among their constituents.
Working in their favor were Feldman's eloquent speaking talents, Torah knowledge, and secular education.
The fact that this young Jewish couple — he an expert
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player and she a well-dressed, former
fashion design
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates ...
er — still observed what people thought of as outdated ''
mitzvot'' intrigued and attracted new congregants.
Still, change was gradual. It was only in the 1960s that a small group of congregants bought houses near the synagogue so they could walk to it on
Shabbat and
Yom Tov
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...
, and began sending their children to the Hebrew Academy of Atlanta, a day school which Feldman helped establish in 1954.
Feldman's first major test of his authority occurred in 1955, when the congregation moved into a church building. Feldman had a ''
mechitza
A ''mechitza'' ( he, מחיצה, partition or division, pl.: , ) in Judaism, is a partition, particularly one that is used to separate men and women.
The rationale in halakha (Jewish law) for a partition dividing men and women is derived from ...
'' installed for the first night of
Selichos. When they saw the tall divider separating the men's and women's sections, most of the board members' wives stormed out of the shul. The next morning, the ''mechitza'' was missing. When board members dragged their feet about reinstalling it, Feldman put his young rabbinate on the line and threatened to quit if it they didn't bring it back. On the morning before
Rosh Hashana
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...
, the ''mechitza'' reappeared without comment. From that point on, the congregation acceded to its rabbi on all
halakhic matters.
In 1962
the congregation moved into its own building in northeast Atlanta, near
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
. The new facility included a Hebrew school and a
mikvah.
As the Orthodox Jewish community became more established, Feldman helped open the Torah Day School of Atlanta in 1985;
his wife was the school's first principal.
In 1996
Feldman's daughter-in-law, Miriam (wife of Rabbi
Ilan D. Feldman), opened the first girls-only high school in the South, the Temima High School for Girls, a
Bais Yaakov
Bais Yaakov ( he, בית יעקב also Beis Yaakov, Beit Yaakov, Beth Jacob or Beys Yankev; lit., House fJacob) is a genericized name for full-time Haredi Jewish elementary and secondary schools for Jewish girls throughout the world.
Bais Yaa ...
-type school.
During his nearly 40 years as a congregational rabbi, Feldman spoke out on controversial issues facing the community, including the opening of the Atlanta Jewish Community Center on
Shabbat,
kashrut, adoption, divorce,
autopsy, and
circumcision
Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...
.
His work as a congregational rabbi was so successful that he wrote a "
love letter
A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings.
History
One of the oldest references to a l ...
" to his congregation, an unusual document in the American Jewish rabbinate.
In 1980 Ilan D. Feldman, joined his father as assistant rabbi of the congregation. With Feldman's retirement in 1991, his son became the senior rabbi of the synagogue.
Feldman and his wife moved to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
in 1991, having guided more than 70 other families to make
aliyah as well.
In 1999 he published a humorous memoir of his experiences as a pulpit rabbi entitled ''Tales Out of Shul: The unorthodox journal of an Orthodox rabbi'' (Feldheim Publishers). In 2001 he published a book of essays on rabbinic and synagogue life
entitled ''The Shul Without a Clock: Second thoughts from a rabbi's notebook'' (Mesorah Publications Ltd.).
Active retirement
Since his retirement, Rabbi Feldman has been an active editor, writer and spokesman for Orthodox Jewry. He serves as editor-in-chief of the landmark
Ariel Chumash project, which began publishing its new English translation of
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...
,
Targum Onkelos
Interlinear text of Hebrew Numbers 6.3–10 with British_Library.html"_;"title="Aramaic_Targum_Onkelos_from_the_British_Library">Aramaic_Targum_Onkelos_from_the_British_Library.
Targum_Onkelos_(or_Onqelos;_Hebrew_language.html" "title="B ...
and other commentaries in 1997. From 1988 to 2001, he was the editor-in-chief of ''Tradition: The Journal of Orthodox Jewish thought'', published by the Rabbinical Council of America.
Feldman is a regular contributor to cross-currents.com, a
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
that presents the perspectives of Orthodox Jewish writers on current events,
and has been a regular op-ed contributor to ''
The Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper ...
'' since 2006. He has also written hundreds of articles for magazines such as the ''
Saturday Review'' and ''
The New Republic
''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
''.
Family
Feldman's son, Rabbi Ilan D. Feldman, is married to Miriam, the daughter of Rabbi
Yaakov Weinberg
Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, known as Yaakov Weinberg (also Jacob S. Weinberg) (1923 – July 1, 1999) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Talmudist, and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the major America ...
, former rosh yeshiva of
Yeshiva Ner Yisroel.
They have eight children.
Selected bibliography
*
* (co-authored with Aharon Lichtenstein and
Joel B. Wolowelsky)
*
* (co-edited with
Joel B. Wolowelsky)
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
"The Ritual of the Red Pepper" from ''Tales Out of Shul''"A Delicate Balance: The Role of the Rebbetzin" by Rebbetzin Estelle Feldman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldman, Emanuel
American Haredi rabbis
American Orthodox rabbis
Jewish American writers
1927 births
Living people
Emory University alumni
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century American rabbis