Ephraim Reuven Wolf (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: אפרים ראובן וולף; July 11, 1921 – March 6, 2004) was an American

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-pa ...

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 spiritual leader. He was active in the founding and growth of many Jewish educational and communal institutions.

Biography

Wolf was born on July 11, 1921, to Nochum and Hinda Wolf. He studied at the

Mesivta Torah Vodaath Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. History The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and f ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, the

Ner Israel Rabbinical College Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville (Baltimore County), Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Rud ...

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 ...

and at the Yeshiva Tifereth Israel in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. His first rabbinical position was at the Young Israel of Malden,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, where he founded the Beth Jacob Hebrew Academy. Subsequently, he served as rabbi of Congregation Ohav Zedek in

Wilkes Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, during which time he founded the Israel Ben Zion Academy in

. In 1956, Wolf became the spiritual leader of the Great Neck Synagogue. He served as the Rabbi and communal leader for over 30 years, from 1956 to 1988. He also served as principal of the

North Shore Hebrew Academy North Shore Hebrew Academy (NSHA or NSHAHS) is a Modern Orthodox yeshiva located in Great Neck, New York. The Academy has four divisions: Pre-K, Elementary (Grades K-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12). The founding princ ...

as an extension of the synagogue, and helped it gain

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

accreditation. His efforts succeeded in establishing the Mikveh and the Eiruv as well as a

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

Minyan. When the

was first founded, Wolf laid the foundation for the new school, developed a competitive curriculum and recruited teachers. When the school could afford a mini-bus, Wolf drove it while there was no driver. Dale Polakoff stated, “Through his force of personality, Rabbi Wolf was able to give a legitimacy to

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

that

Great Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...

might otherwise not have had.”

is a co-educational Yeshiva which now has over than 1,000 students from toddler through high school, on three campuses in

. Wolf was active in the project of Zeirei Agudath Israel headed by Mike Tress, and worked hard to be ''Mekarev'' and recruit boys with less religious background and exposure to learn at

, then headed by Rabbi

Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886 – 7 September 1948) was a leader of American Orthodoxy and founder of key institutions such as Torah U'Mesorah, an outreach and educational organization. He is also known for having taken the reins in 1921 and b ...

. At the beginning of

Torah Umesorah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

in America, Wolf and a fellow student from

traveled from town to town, sleeping at night in railway stations to save money, as they scouted out possible communities for day schools. Wolf died on March 6, 2004 (13 Adar 5764).

Personal life

Wolf and his wife Elaine (née Miller) lived in

. They had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Ephraim 1921 births 2004 deaths Modern Orthodox rabbis American Orthodox rabbis