Haim Yitshak Ehrenberg (Hebrew: חיים יצחק ארנברג), born February 10, 1950 in
Jerusalem,
Israel, is
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
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 o ...
of
Berlin,
Germany. He previously served as Rabbi of
Munich, Germany (1990-1997).
Biography
Ehrenberg was born on February 10, 1950 in
Jerusalem, Israel. His parents, Yechiel Michel and Tzipora Ehrenberg, were born in Israel to
chassidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
families which had been in Israel for many generations.
When he was 5, the family moved from
Yaffa to Bnei Braq where he grew up. His father was a businessman in the diamond processing industry.
Ehrenberg is the second of three sons. His older brother, Jaakov, still resides in Bnei Braq. His younger brother, Moshe Pinchas Ehrenberg, died 1987 in a car crash near
Petach Tikva, Israel.
After his
bar mitzvah, he went to study in Yeshivat Hasharon, a yeshiva ktana, and afterwards at the age of 16, he decided to join the Yeshivat "Harey Yehuda" in
Beit Meir
Beit Meir ( he, בֵּית מֵאִיר, lit. ''House of Meir'') is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located in the Jerusalem hills around nine miles from Jerusalem, just off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, it falls under the jurisdiction of ...
near Jerusalem. The Rosh Yeshiva (and founder) of "Harey Yehuda" and later his father-in-law, Rabbi Tzvi Kahana (1921-1996), was to become his main influence and spiritual mentor who shaped Ehrenberg in his early years.
In 1970, Ehrenberg married Nechama, the first daughter of the Rosh Yeshiva and the couple moved to the city of
Ashkelon.
In 1975, after a five-year program of studies, teachings and social activism as part of a
talmudic institution in Ashkelon, Ehrenberg was ordained as Rabbi by the Chief Rabbi of Ashkelon, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Blau.
Following his ordination in 1975, Ehrenberg returned to "Harey Yehuda" in Beit Meir to become teacher in the Yeshiva. During this period he also took an active role together with Rabbi Kahana in the administration of the Yeshiva.
Rabbinical career
In 1983, Ehrenberg moved to
Vienna, Austria where he first served as Rabbi of the
Mizrachi community, a position which he held until 1989. In 1989, Ehrenberg moved with his family to Munich, Germany, where he served as Rabbi between the years 1989 and 1997. Since 1997, Rabbi Ehrenberg has been Orthodox Jewish Community Rabbi of Berlin, Germany.
Rabbi Ehrenberg is a member of the
Conference of European Rabbis
The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) is the primary Orthodox rabbinical alliance in Europe. It unites more than 700 religious leaders of the mainstream synagogue communities in Europe. It was founded in 1956 on the initiative of British Chief ...
standing committee.
In 2003, Rabbi Ehrenberg co-founded th
ORD(Orthodox Rabbi-Conference of Germany) which goal it has been to facilitate the cooperation of German Rabbis for a continuous development of Jewish Orthodox life in Germany. Ehrenberg served as Chairman of the ORD from its establishment until 2010.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrenberg, Yitshak
1950 births
German Orthodox rabbis
Living people