Rabbi Mark Dratch is the founder of JSafe (The Jewish Institute Supporting an Abuse-Free Environment). In 2010 he was named as one of Newsweek's Top 50 Rabbis in America. He was number 13 on Newsweek's list in 2013. He was married to Sarah Lamm (d. 2013), the daughter of Rabbi

Norman Lamm Norman Lamm (December 19, 1927 – May 31, 2020) was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July ...

, the long-time Chancellor of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

. In December, 2017 he married Rachel Levitt Klein. In July, 2023 he made Aliya.

Education

Dratch is a graduate of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

(Yeshiva College, 1979; RIETS (rabbinic ordination), 1982; Ferkauf Graduate School (Jewish Education), 1982); and received an MSW from Wurzweiler School of Social Work (2012).

Rabbinical Council of America

In September, 2012, Mark Dratch was appointed as Executive 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 ...

Positions

Dratch served as a congregational

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 ...

for 22 years. Congregations include: Congregation Agudath Sholom, Stamford, Connecticut; Shaarei Shomayim Congregation,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

; Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, New York, New York; Boca Raton Synagogue, Boca Raton, Florida (Dratch was the founding Rabbi); Congregation Beth Israel,

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. He also served as the Webbe Rebbe - answering " Ask the rabbi" questions addressed to the Orthodox Union on its web site. He was a Vice President of the

, served as chairman of its task force on rabbinic improprieties and was responsible for spearheading and formulating policy guidelines for responding to allegations against member rabbis. He was a member of the RCA Executive Board and a member of the Orthodox Caucus. He was an Instructor of Jewish Studies and Philosophy at the Isaac Breuer College of Yeshiva University and the camp Rabbi of Camp Morasha.

Publications

Dratch has published articles, in English and Hebrew-language journals, on the interface between Jewish law and contemporary society. He wrote a series of articles on Jewish ethical issues for the Ethics Project of the Orthodox Caucus. His chapter, "A Community of Co-Enablers: Why Are Jews Ignoring Traditional Jewish Law by Protecting the Abuser?" appears in "Tempest in the Temple: Jewish Communities and Child Sex Scandals" A. Neustein, ed. (Brandeis University Press, 2009) and his chapter, "I Do? Consent And Coercion in Sexual Relations" appears in "Rav Chesed: Essays in Honor of Rabbi Dr. Haskel Lookstein," R. Medoff, ed., (Ktav, 2009). His paper dealing with the Jewish views on domestic violence was originally distributed through the Rabbinical Council.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Advocacy and Awareness

In 2005, Rabbi Dratch founded JSafe: The Jewish Institute Supporting an Abuse Free Environment for which he served as CEO until his appointintment as Executive Vice President of the

. Dratch was a member of the Clergy Task Force on Abuse of Jewish Women International, a member of the Leadership Time of the FaithTrust Institute, a member of the Editorial Board of the (now defunct) Journal of Religion and Abuse. He also lectures on matters of domestic violence, child abuse, and professional abuse in the Jewish community.

References