Yitzchak (Irving) Breitowitz is an American-born

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 ...

Jewish

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 ...

, lecturer and rabbinic authority. The Rabbi Emeritus of Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah, and the Rav of Kehillas

Ohr Somayach Ohr Somayach may refer to: *Ohr Somayach (book), commentary by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk **''Ohr Somayach'', common reference to Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk *Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, a network of yeshivas based in Israel * Ohr Somayach, Monsey, a ...

, and lecturer at Ohr Somayach in

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

Family background

Breitowitz was born in April 1954 in New York, to David (July 15, 1918 - August 22, 2003 age 85) and Chaya Esther Tzipora (Helen) Breitowitz (Rakoszynski) (March 31, 1921 - March 4, 2014 age 92). Both were Holocaust survivors

Early life and education

R' Breitowitz was born in New York and grew up in the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area where he attended Yeshiva of Hartford. Later he attended Ner Israel Yeshiva in Baltimore, MD. In his time in Ner Israel, Rabbi Breitowitz became a close disciple of the Rosh Yeshiva R' Yitzchak Ruderman, and future Roshei Yeshiva R' Yaakov Weinberg, and Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky. He received his

bachelor of arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1979, where he graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

. In 1979 He obtained

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 ...

from Ner Israel Rabbinical College.

Career

After graduating R' Breitowitz worked in private practice in Chicago where he also served as law clerk for the Honorable

Susan Getzendanner Susan Christine O'Meara Getzendanner (born 1939) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and in 2013 was listed as a NAFTA adjudicator. Education and career Getzendanner ...

of the U.S. District Court for the northern district of Illinois and taught at the Chicago-Kent College of Law and at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. R' Breitowitz returned to Baltimore in 1983, where he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Law, as an associate professor of law, specializing in bankruptcy, commercial law and bioethics. In 2001 Breitowitz was awarded as "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" by the Maryland University. In 1988 R' Breitowitz became the Rabbi of the Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

where he served for 22 years. In Baltimore he lectured regularly to the larger Washington community at the Board of Jewish Education, the JCC, the

UJA The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Cou ...

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

and other venues and has also taught at the Girls’ Division of the Yeshiva High School. In April 2010 Breitowitz moved to Israel where he became a senior lecturer in Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem and the Rav of Kehillas Ohr Somayach. Breitowitz is also a lecturer at Yiboneh as well as a member of the Faculty at the Tikvah Fund.

Written work and lectures

Breitowitz has lectured on medical, business, and family ethics. He has written and published on the interface of Halacha and contemporary society with a special interest and expertise in medical, family, business, and legal ethics. His articles Discuss topics such as stem cell research, cloning, organ donation, land for peace, and the Jewish perspectives on war and gun control. He has also written many basic source books on Jewish values for NCSY, an organization that does Jewish outreach to teenagers.

Personal life

Breitowitz is married to Sally Naiman.

Published articles

*"Between Civil and Religious Law: The Plight of the Agunah in American Society" (Praeger, July 20, 1993, , ) *"A Study of the Maryland Bar Exam" (January 1, 1988 Baltimore, Md.) *"Halakhic Approaches to the Resolution of Disputes Concerning the Disposition of Preembryos" (Vol. 31, No. 1, Halakhic Medical Issues (Fall 1996), pp. 64–91 Published By: Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). Published in Jewish Law and New Reproductive Technologies, Edited by Emanuel Feldman and Joel B. Wolowelsky. Hoboken, NJ, KTAV Pub. House, 1997. p. 155-186.) *"New Developments in Consumer Bankruptcies: Chapter 7 Dismissal on the Basis of "Substanial Abuse"" (First Installment, Published in American Bankruptcy Law Journal, v. 59, no. 4, fall 1985, p. 327-355. (Second Installment, Published in American Bankruptcy Law Journal, v. 60, no. 1, winter 1986, p. 33-68.) *"Article 9 Security Interests as Voidable Preferences" (Published in Cardozo Law Review, v. 3, no. 3, spring 1982, p. 357-429. Part 2 of this paper - The Floating Lien - is published in Cardozo Law Review, v. 4, no. 1, fall 1982. *"The Brain Death Controversy in Jewish Law" (Published in the Jewish Action Reader, v. 1, 1996, p. 120-133. Reprinted with permission, 2006.)

References

External links

Rabbibreitowitz.comBreitowitz at Ohr Somayach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breitowitz, Yitzchak Harvard Law School alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni American Orthodox rabbis