Aharon Yaakov Schwei (July 9, 1934 – April 24, 2020) was 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 ...

and a member of the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

movement. Rabbi Schwei served on the Bais Din Tzedek (Jewish Rabbinical Court) of the Chabad community in

Crown Heights, Brooklyn 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/East New Yo ...

.Collive Reporter. "Hate Blogs Are Killing Us". ''Collive.com''. Dec 12, 2010.
/ref>Collive Reporter. "Rabbis Fight Hate Blogs". ''Collive.com''. Dec 10, 2010.
/ref>"The Shluchim Unite". ''ChabadWorld.net''
/ref>Chabad.info. "Beis Din Recommends Eishel Kapparos". ''Chabad.info''. September 23, 2012.
/ref>Collive reporter. "Crown Heights Badatz Unites". ''Collive.com''. Feb 1, 2011.
/ref>

Rabbi of Crown Heights

As a member of the Crown Heights Beth Din (rabbinical court), Rabbi Schwei was considered one of the community's chief rabbis (

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

, מרא דאתרא (''Marah D'Asra'')). The rabbinical court is the spiritual and religious body governing the Crown Heights Chabad community. After his death, three rabbis remained serving on the Beth Din: * Rabbi Avraham Osdoba, the ''

Av Beth Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

'' (head of court). * Rabbi Yosef Heller * Rabbi Yosef Braun Each hold the title ''Marah D'Asra''.

Crown Heights Kashrus

Rabbi Schwei was involved in supervising and granting

kosher certification A hechsher (; he, הֶכְשֵׁר "prior approval"; plural: ''hechsherim'') is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items (usually foods) that conform to the requirements of halakha. Forms A hechsher may be a printed and signed certif ...

under the Crown Heights rabbinical court. In recent years, Rabbi Osdoba's authority as sole administrator of the CHK was challenged by others in the community, including supporters of Rabbi Schwei and Rabbi Braun 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.Collive reporter. "CHK Stronghold is Challenged". ''Collive.com''. August 10, 2011.
/ref> The court however remanded this ruling back to the arbitration panel for clarification which is yet to reconvene

Statement on local blogs

Both Rabbis Osdoba and Schwei spoke out against several "hate blogs" created by members of the community.

Ordination

Rabbi Schwei received his

rabbinic ordination Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

from Rabbi Aryeh Leib Kramer, the former dean of the Chabad

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 s ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Family

Yaakov Schwei's brother, Rabbi Isaac Schwei (1932–1988) was a rabbi in the Chabad community of Montreal (also ordained by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Kramer).

Banning of Call of the Shofar

In December 2013, Rabbis Yaakov Schwei and Yosef Braun 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 ( , 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 ...

, 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."Vaad Rabonei Lubavitch prohibit attending COTS."
''CrownHeights.info''. Accessed 2014.

Death

On April 24, 2020, Rabbi Schwei died in

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 ...

from complications associated with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

External links

CHJCC directory for the Beth DinGuide to Jewish customs for the fast of the 9th of Av. By Rabbis Schwei and Braun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwei, Yaakov 1934 births 2020 deaths 21st-century American rabbis American Hasidic rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis 20th-century American rabbis Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)