Yakov Meir Nagen (born June 17, 1967;

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: יעקב מאיר נגן) is an Israeli rabbi and author. Nagen is a leader in interfaith dialogue and in particular interfaith peace initiatives between

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

and Islam. He is the Director of the Blickle Institute for

Interfaith Dialogue Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

and the

Beit Midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

for Judaism and Humanity. Nagen also teaches at Yeshivat Otniel and has written extensively about Jewish philosophy and

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

Biography

Early life

Nagen was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York to Ahuva and Azriel Genack. After completing high school in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, he studied in Israel at Yeshivat Shaalvim. Nagen returned to the US to study at

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

where he received a bachelor's degree in Judaic studies and a master's degree in Jewish history in addition to

rabbinic ordination 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 C ...

. In 1993 he moved to Israel and studied at

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...

and in 1997 joined the faculty at Yeshivat Otniel. In 2004 Nagen received a doctoral degree in Jewish philosophy at

the Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public university, public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein ...

. His dissertation dealt with the interplay between

Halacha ''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 comman ...

and

Aggada Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...

, Kabbala and philosophy in the context of the holiday of Sukkot. Nagen's interdisciplinary approach towards Talmudic literature is developed his books: "Water, Creation and Revelation – Sukkot in the philosophy of halacha (Geloy, 2008) and "The Soul of the Mishna - a literary reading and search for meaning" (Dvir, 2016)

Interfaith activity

In 2006, Nagen traveled to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the context of his research about the relationship between Judaism and eastern spirituality. Nagen see Judaism as incorporating elements both of Eastern and Western philosophy, as he presents in his book "Waking up to a new day – a renewed reading of Torah and life" (Maggid, 2013). In 2019 the book appeared in English as "Be, Become, Bless – Jewish Spirituality between East and West" (Maggid). Nagen is a leader in interfaith encounters in Israel and the Palestinian Authority between Jewish and Muslim leaders. In wake of his colleague, Rabbi

Menachem Froman Rabbi Menachem Froman (also spelled ''Menahem'' and ''Fruman''; he, מנחם פרומן‎; 1 June 1945 – 4 March 2013) Note: Birth date is 1 Jan – 4 Mar 1945 based on 1) year known as 1945, 2) age known to be 68, 3) date of death kn ...

, Nagen believes that as religion is at the heart of the problem in the conflicts in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, religion must also be part of the solution. Through the Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) he coordinates a group of

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

rabbis that meet regularly with Muslim sheikhs and imams, mostly from the

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

and Ramallah areas. He is the co-chairman of the board of the Abrahamic Reunion (AR). The Abrahamic Reunion composes of representatives of four

Abrahamic religions The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...

- Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze - dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East. Nagen was a representative of the organization at the

World Parliament of Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

in 2015 at

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. Nagen is also active in the

United Religions Initiative The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network. It has local and global initiatives through more than 800 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as conflic ...

(URI), and was one of Israel's representatives at the annual conference for the Middle East, held in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

in November 2017. A photograph of Nagen hugging Haj Ibrahim Ahmad Abu el-Hawa appeared in Google's "Year in Search 2014" After the murder of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, Nagen was an organizer of the prayer vigil for the victims and outcry against the violence. In March 2016 Nagen visited Al-Azhar University in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

and

Fayyum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

to promote mutual respect between Islam and Judaism. In 2016 Nagen was profiled in

Tablet Magazine ''Tablet'' is an online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture. The magazine was founded in 2009 and is supported by the Nextbook foundation. Its editor-in-chief is Alana Newhouse. History ''Tablet'' was founded in 2009 with the support ...

as one of the 10 "Israeli Rabbis You Should Know". Nagen is active in spreading Judaism in China in the context of the "Shofer from Zion" organization. Many of his writings have been translated into

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and in 2017 he gave lecture series in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. In 2020 Nagen was appointed as the director of the

Ohr Torah Stone Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) ( he, אור תורה סטון) is an international Modern Orthodox movement that aims to develop Jewish life, learning, and leadership. The organization is led by Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander. In 1983 OTS was founded by Rabb ...

network's Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and the Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity. In 2022 a compendium of the research in the Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity, was published as “His Name is One – Healing the Relationship between Judaism and World Religions". The book creates a new paradigm for Judaism’s halakhic and philosophical approach toward other religions. Nagen envisions a rapprochement between Judaism and Islam parallel to the processes that have taken place between Judaism and Christianity such as in

Nostra aetate (from Latin: "In our time") is the incipit of the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated ...

(“In Our Time”), the 1965 declaration of the Second Vatican Council in Rome regarding Judaism. He is also part of the N7 initiative which seeks to broaden and deepen normalization between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries, in which Nagen focuses on the interfaith component. Nagen is also a member of the Tzohar and Beit Hillel organizations, rabbinical organizations that focus on the relations between the religious and secular communities in Israel.

Personal life

In 1993 Nagen married

Michal Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, ...

, head of the Tzahali pre-army seminary and daughter of Professor Uriel Simon. The couple lives in

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

and have seven children.

Published works

* 2007 "The Soul of the Mishna - window to the inner world of the Mishna", Geloy (in Hebrew) * 2008 "Water, Creation and Revelation – Sukkot in the philosophy of halacha, Geloy (in Hebrew) * 2013 "Waking up to a new day – a renewed reading of Torah and life", Maggid (in Hebrew) * 2016 "The Soul of the Mishna - a literary reading and search for meaning", Dvir (in Hebrew) * 2019 "Be, Become, Bless – Jewish Spirituality between East and West", Maggid (in English) * 2019 "Life as Story - Seeing the World with New Eyes", Geloy (in Hebrew) * 2020 "The Soul of Mishna", Maggid (in English) * 2021 "Loving the World - Stories of Judaism and Humanity", Geloy (in Hebrew) * 2022 "His Name is One – Healing the Relationship between Judaism and World Religions", Maggid (in Hebrew)co-authored by Rabbi Sarel Rosenblatt and Dr. Assaf Malach * 2023 "Healing the Middle East: Interfaith Initiatives for Peace and Coexistences", Blickle Institute (in English)

External links

For West Bank rabbi, a rare and risky trip to Cairo’s ivory tower of Islam
April 15, 2016
Walking the Green Line - ‘Isaac and Ishmael are brothers’ – Otniel yeshiva and The Field, Gush Etzion bloc, Winter 2015
Haaretz
Scholarship Needs Spirituality, Spirituality Needs Scholarship: Challenges for Emerging Talmudic Methodologies
October 7, 2013

ynet Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...

, October 9, 2014 * Yakov Nagen
The Abrahamic Union: A confederate solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

times of israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

, May 29, 2017 * Yakov Nagen
From Other to Brother: Tales of Ramadan from Hebron and Jerusalem

, June 16, 2017 * Yakov Nagen
Religion and Reconciliation on the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa

, Aug 27, 2017
interview with Professor Alan Brill about Judaism and Eastern Spirituality
September 3, 2019
Peace will only come when the faiths of Jews and Arabs are acknowledged

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper ...

, September 22, 2020 * Yakov Nagen
The evolving Jewish-Christian-Muslim trialogue

, February 21, 2021 * Yakov Nagen
It’s time to heal Jewish-Arab relations in Israel

, Aapril 4, 2021 * Yakov Nagen
For God’s sake, Islam and Judaism can make peace

, May 23, 2021 * Yakov Nagen
Rosh Hashanah: Closing a circuit of life and love

, September 3, 2021 * Alan Rosenbaum
Interfaith dialogue: Making religion part of Israel's Middle East peace

, February 4, 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagen, Yakov Israeli rabbis 1967 births Living people Religious Zionist Orthodox rabbis Yeshiva University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni