David Shlomo Rosen KSG CBE (born 1951) is the former

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

of Ireland (1979–1985) and currently serves as the American Jewish Committee's International Director of Interreligious Affairs. From 2005 until 2009 he headed the International Jewish Committee for Inter-religious Consultations (IJCIC), the broad-based coalition of Jewish organizations and denominations that represents World Jewry in its relations with other world religions. Before being appointed Chief Rabbi of Ireland, he was the senior rabbi of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in South Africa (the Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation, Cape Town) and served as a judge on the Cape Beth Din (rabbinic court). He is also a board member of the Brussels-based organization CEJI - A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe that promotes a Europe of diversity and respect. He is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel.

Interfaith relations

Based in Jerusalem, he also serves on the Chief Rabbinate of Israel's Commission for Interreligious Relations. He is an international president of Religions for Peace; and serves as the only Jewish representative on the board of directors of the

KAICIID Dialogue Centre The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, mostly referred to as "International Dialogue Centrand globally known by its abbreviation, KAICIID, is an Intergovernmental organization, inter-g ...

(interfaith centre) established in 2012 by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia together with the governments of Austria and Spain and the Vatican. He is honorary president of the International Council of Christians and Jews; and serves on the board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute; and the World Council of Religious Leaders.

Awards

In November 2005, Rosen was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in recognition of his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation, making him the first Israeli citizen and the first

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 to receive this honour. In the same year he also won the Mount Zion Award for Interreligious Understanding. In December 2006, he received the

Raphael Lemkin Raphael Lemkin ( pl, Rafał Lemkin; 24 June 1900 – 28 August 1959) was a Polish lawyer who is best known for coining the term ''genocide'' and initiating the Genocide Convention, an interest spurred on after learning about the Armenian genocid ...

Human Rights Award from Rabbis for Human Rights – North America for having founded the organization Rabbis for Human Rights. Rosen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the

2010 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and NevisSaint Christ ...

by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2016, he was awarded the

Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation The Lambeth Awards are awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In addition to the Lambeth degrees, there are a number of non-academic awards. Before 2016, these awards consisted of the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross, and the Cross of St Augus ...

by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

"for his commitment and contribution to the work of Inter Religious relations between, particularly, the Jewish and Catholic faiths".

Personal life

He is married to Sharon (née Rothstein), who co-directs the Jerusalem office of Search for Common Ground. They have three daughters and six grandchildren. Born in Newbury,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, he is the third son of Rabbi

Kopul Rosen Rabbi Dr Yaacov Kopul Rosen (1913–1962) was an important anglo-Jewish rabbi and educationalist. In 1946 he testified before the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry on Palestine, asking them not to "play politics with the remnants of the Jewish ...

and the brother of Rabbis

Jeremy Rosen Jeremy Rosen (born ) is an Orthodox rabbi, author, and lecturer. Rosen is an advocate of modern Orthodox Judaism which aims to balance tolerance of modernity, individual variations and a commitment to Jewish law (''Halacha''). His articles and ...

(b. 1942) and Michael Rosen (21 January 1945 – 8 December 2008).

Vegetarianism

Rosen is the honorary president of the International Jewish Vegetarian and Ecology Society. He is a vigorous critic of

factory farming Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...

, noting that "much of the current treatment of animals in the livestock trade makes the consumption of meat produced through such cruel conditions ''halachically'' unacceptable as the product of illegitimate means." In addition, he has argued that the waste of natural resources and the damage done to the environment by "meat production" make a compelling Jewish moral argument for adopting a vegan diet. He has written extensively on a wide variety of interfaith issues.

References

External links