Solomon Sharfman was a rabbi of

Orthodox Jewry 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 ...

who built the Flatbush Modern Orthodox Jewish community in the mid-1900s.

Life

Solomon Joseph Sharfman was born on November 1, 1915, in Treblinka, Poland; his family came to the United States five years later. His father, Rabbi Label Sharfman, worked as a shochet in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America) is an Orthodox Yeshiva in the United States, based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian-style Talmudic Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is ...

and reportedly made up the name "The Rabbinical Seminary of America" when registering the new institution with the City of New York, because the city did not want to accept a Hebrew name. For over forty years, from 1938 to 1984, Sharfman was the rabbi of

Young Israel of Flatbush Young Israel of Flatbush is a historic synagogue at 1012 Avenue I in Midwood, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It was built between 1925 and 1929 and is a three-story Moorish-inspired style building faced in polychromatic patterned brick. It featu ...

, the pulpit from which he led American Jewry. For two years, from 1956 to 1958, he served as 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 from 1969 to 1971, he was president of the Synagogue Council of America. Rabbi Sharfman maintained a relationship with rabbinic luminaries of the era, such as Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—J ...

. His writings are included in a number of compilations of rabbinic literature ("Homer LeDerush") of the

National Council of Young Israel The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) or Young Israel (in Hebrew: , ''Yisrael Hatza'ir''), is a synagogue-based Orthodox Judaism organization in the United States with a network of affiliated "Young Israel" synagogues. Young Israel was found ...

. He died in his sleep on December 19, 2004.

Legacy

Communal

Rabbi Sharfman was an early (1950s) opponent to New York's Sunday Blue laws. In 1989 he helped focus the attention of the

on JustOneLife, an organization that provides professional counseling and financial assistance, enabling and empowering mothers to choose to continue their pregnancies to term. As of 2017 the organization is still in operation.

Personal

He was survived by his wife and their sons and daughters, along with many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. His son, Rabbi Label Sharfman, founded and heads the Bnot Torah Seminary in the

Sanhedria Murchevet Sanhedria HaMurhevet ( he, סנהדריה המורחבת, also spelled Sanhedria HaMurchevet) is a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem. Its name translates as "expanded Sanhedria". The neighborhood was founded in 1970 as a northern expansion of S ...

neighborhood in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Israel, otherwise known as "Sharfman's". Notable grandchildren include Rabbi Eliakim Koenigsberg, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivat R' Yitzchak Elchanan (

RIETS Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...

). A sister of Rabbi Koenigsberg is married to Rabbi Meir Orlian, who is the rabbi and Dayan of a synagogue in Yad Binyamin and teaches in Yeshivat Shaalvim and Kerem BeYavneh. Another sister, Dr. Chani (née Koenigsberg) Maybruch EdD, MA, is a relationship educator and coach along with her husband Rabbi Shmuel Maybruch. His youngest grandson is R' David Diament, honorary lecturer at The 2018 Dr. Abraham S. and Phyllis Weissman Memorial Rabbinic Lecture in

.Dental Treatment of Parents: Does the Jewish Mother’s Dream Apply to a Son Who is a Dentist?
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References

External links

Forward to the first volume of the RCA journal, Tradition, written by Rabbi Sharfman (1958)

involvement, Orthodox Jews Seek Court Ban on Mixed Seating in Synagogue
(JTA)
List of (47) JTA articles detailing Rabbi Sharfman's persistence in fighting for Torah-true Judaism in the USA and worldwide
Jewish Telegraphic Agency archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharfman, Solomon 1915 births 2004 deaths American Orthodox rabbis Polish emigrants to the United States 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American Jews