Sholom Shuchat
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Sholom Shuchat ( he, שלום דוב בער שוחאט) is an American
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 ...
,
rosh kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
, and dayan. In June 2014, Shuchat pleaded guilty to one count of traveling in interstate commerce to commit an act of violence as part of the
New York divorce coercion gang The New York divorce coercion gang was a Haredi Jewish group that kidnapped, and in some cases tortured, Jewish men in the New York metropolitan area to force them to grant their wives ''gittin'' (religious divorces). The Federal Bureau of Invest ...
.


Education

In June 2004, Shuchat received his ''
semikhah 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 ...
'' (rabbinic ordination) from Dovid Schochet ( Chief Rabbi of
Toronto 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 anch ...
) and Dovid Schmukler (dean of
Kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
Tiferes Menachem in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California). He received '' dayanut'' in 2012 from
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ( he, זלמן נחמיה גולדברג; January 28, 1931 – August 20, 2020) was a rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva in Israel. The scion of a Lithuanian Jewish family, Goldberg was also a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Auer ...
, Aryeh Ralbag of the
Union of Orthodox Rabbis The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (UOR), often called by its Hebrew name, Agudath Harabonim or Agudas Harrabonim ("union of rabbis"), was established in 1901 in the United States and is the oldest organization of Orthod ...
, Yosef Feigelstock of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, and Yoram Ulman of Sydney, Australia.


Rabbinic career

Shuchat is a dayan on the New York Bet Din (Chok Natan) in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. He is recognized by the
Chief Rabbinate of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel ( he, הָרַבָּנוּת הָרָאשִׁית לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate C ...
for performing ''
gittin Gittin (Hebrew: ) is a tractate of the Mishnah and the Talmud, and is part of the order of Nashim. The content of the tractate primarily deals with the legal provisions related to halakhic divorce, in particular, the laws relating to the ''Get'' ...
'' (Jewish divorce), '' kiddushin'' (Jewish marriage) and '' giyur'' (conversions). Since 2020, Shuchat serves as the
rosh kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
of the Kollel L'horaah Maasit of Crown Heights, which teaches ''
halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
'' (Jewish law) and its practical applications to aspiring rabbis. He, along with members of the kollel, viewed the pouring of the Bucks County '' mikveh'' (ritual bath). Shuchat was the first
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 grou ...
rabbi to rule the Crown Heights eruv kosher. He is a member of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, the Rabbinical Alliance of America, and the Coalition for Jewish Values. He is a member of the faculty of the Online Smicha rabbinical ordination program, the Havineni rabbinical ordination program and Online Machon rabbinical ordination program.


Edison divorce torture plot

In October 2013, Shuchat was implicated in the Edison divorce torture plot, a sting operation conducted by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
, the goal of which was to bring about the arrests of a number of rabbis who plotted to abduct and torture a non-existent Jewish man in order to coerce him into issuing a '' get'' to his "wife". In June 2014, Shuchat pleaded guilty in New Jersey Federal Court to traveling in interstate commerce to commit an act of violence. In December 2015, he was sentenced to time served, along with two years of supervised release, with the first six months being house arrest.


Lectures

Shuchat was a featured speaker at the 2019 Kinus Torah in the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters and has spoken at other rabbinic conferences and events. In 2015, he gave lectures opposing the halakhic prenup and the KosherSwitch.


Writing

After a second measles outbreak in the
Orthodox Jewish 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 M ...
community 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 ...
in 2014, Shuchat wrote an article berating the anti-vaxxers, stating "When someone does an action which can cause death, or even refuses to do an action which can prevent death, he is compared to a murderer". In April 2014, he wrote an explainer about Pesach stringencies. Shuchat reviewed Chaim Miller's book ''Turning Judaism Outwards: A Biography of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson'' in mid-June 2014, alleging inaccuracies in the book. In 2015, he edited a collection of
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...
's directives to Chabad missionaries, ''Shlichos K'hilchasa''. In 2017, he wrote a letter opposing TahorApp, a
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
whose intended purpose was to enable women to discreetly and privately send ''
niddah Niddah (or nidah; he, נִדָּה), in traditional Judaism, describes a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirem ...
'' questions to a rabbi. In the same year, he joined a group of Chabad rabbis who signed a proclamation addressing child
sexual abuse cases in Brooklyn's Haredi community The response of the Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York City, to allegations of sexual abuse against its spiritual leaders has drawn scrutiny. When teachers, rabbis, and other leaders have been accused of sexual abuse, au ...
. Shuchat wrote a reponsum, later published in various rabbinical journals, defending Manhattan Beer Distributors against accusations it had improperly kept '' chametz'' over
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
. In the fall of 2018, he campaigned against the International Beit Din, charging it had allowed a married woman to remarry without first obtaining a ''get'', rendering any future children ''
mamzer In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law, a ''mamzer'' ( he, ממזר, , "estranged person"; plural ''mamzerim'') is a person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest (as it is defined by the Bible), or the de ...
im'' (impure).


References


External links


News Articles and Classes from Rabbi Shuchat
* (lecture) * (lecture) * (lecture) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shuchat, Sholom 1984 births 21st-century American rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis Living people Orthodox rabbis from New York City People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn Rabbis convicted of crimes