Yaakov Pearlman was
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
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
from September 2001 to June 2008.
A native of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, he became one of the youngest rabbis in Britain ever when he was ordained
arned ''semicha''">semicha.html" ;"title="arned ''semicha">arned ''semicha''by the Manchester, Rosh HaYeshiva, HaGaon Rabbi, HaRav Yehudah Ze'ev Segal, Zatzal, z't'l. He was then awarded a fellowship to attend Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, Lakewood, New Jersey, where he studied directly under the HaGaon Harav
Aaron Kotler
Aharon Kotler (1892–1962) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and the United States; the latter being where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.
Early life
Kotler ...
, z't'l' and HaGaon Harav
Schneur Kotler z't'l, for ten years.
Subsequently, Rabbi Pearlman earned a master's degree in
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...
at
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...
in New York and a Ph.D in educational administration at the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...
.
Included in his Rabbinic career are several years in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, and
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
. After serving as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Joseph Center in Rochester, he then was appointed as Rabbi of Congregation Light of Israel Sephardic Center, where he is currently senior Rabbi Emeritus.
In addition, Rabbi Pearlman served on the faculties of Yeshivot and Jewish Day Schools as principal and teacher for more than 40 years.
In 2001, Rabbi Pearlman was appointed to the position of Chief Rabbi of Ireland, and held that office through 2008. During that tenure, he administered to the diverse needs of the Irish Jewish Community, including matters relating to Synagogue/Communal/Family, Torah education, ''
Kashrut
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
,'' and
Shechitah
In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; he, ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to '' kashrut''.
Sources
states that sheep and cattle should be slaughtere ...
. Moreover, as the
Av Beit 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, ...
of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Rabbi Pearlman adjudicated many ''
Halachic
''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 ...
'' matters in collaboration with the ''Botei Dinim'' of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and Manchester.
He presently is a Rabbi in
Beis Medrish and
Mesivta
''Mesivta'' (also metivta; Aramaic: מתיבתא, "academy") is an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva secondary school for boys. The term is commonly used in the United States to describe a yeshiva that emphasizes Talmudic studies for boys in grades ...
of
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 ...
, headed by Rabbi Tzvi Dov Slanger.
See also
*
History of the Jews in Ireland
The history of the Jews in Ireland extends back several centuries. Although the Jewish community in Ireland has always been small in numbers (not exceeding 5,500 since at least 1891), it is well established and has generally been well-accepte ...
References
Chief rabbis of Ireland
Living people
English Jews
Hofstra University alumni
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century rabbis
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{Ireland-reli-bio-stub