Joseph Telushkin (born 1948) 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 ...

, lecturer, and bestselling author of more than 15 books, including volumes about Jewish ethics, Jewish literacy, as well as the book '' Rebbe'', a ''

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'' bestseller released in June 2014.

Biography

Telushkin was raised 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 ...

and attended the

Yeshivah of Flatbush The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It educates students from age 2 to age 18 and includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary s ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

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

and studied

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 ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Life and career

Telushkin was raised in

, New York, the son of Solomon and Hellen Telushkin. He attended

Yeshiva of Flatbush The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It educates students from age 2 to age 18 and includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary ...

, where he met his friend and future co-author for two books, Dennis Prager, in tenth grade. While at

, they studied

and authored ''Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism'' and ''Why the Jews?: The Reason for Antisemitism''. At university, Telushkin was an active leader of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. As part of his position, Telushkin visited the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, where he met with dissidents such as

Andrei Sakharov Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov ( rus, Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ˈdmʲitrʲɪjevʲɪtɕ ˈsaxərəf; 21 May 192114 December 1989) was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, nobel laureate and activist for n ...

. He was eventually listed by the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

as an anti-Russian agent. An Orthodox rabbi by training, Telushkin serves as a spiritual leader of the

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Synagogue for the Performing Arts, founded in 1972 by Rabbi

Jerome Cutler Jerome "Jerry" Cutler is an American Conservative rabbi and the founder of the Creative Arts Temple in West Los Angeles, California. Personal life Cutler was born in New York City, the son of an Orthodox rabbi. He was ordained at the age of 24 and ...

. He is an associate of the

National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL) is a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center. It is an inter-disciplinary and inter-denominational movement, in which rabbis from all major Jewish denominations in ...

and a former director of education at the non-denominational

Brandeis-Bardin Institute The Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University is a Jewish retreat located since 1947 in the northeastern Simi Hills, in the city of Simi Valley, California. Formerly known as the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, it is used for nondenomination ...

. Telushkin is also a Senior Associate with CLAL and is a member of the board of directors of the

Jewish Book Council The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America since 1997. Telushkin is the author of 16 books on Judaism. His book ''Words That Hurt, Words That Heal'' inspired Senators Joseph Lieberman’s and

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

’s Senate Resolution #151 to establish a National Speak No Evil Day in the US, a day for which Americans would go for twenty-four hours without saying anything unkind or unfair about, or to, anyone. His book ''Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History'' was one of the best-selling books on

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 ...

of the 1990s and early 2000s. More than two decades after its publication, the book remains a foundation text for Jews, non-Jews, and prospective converts alike. The first volume of ''A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall Be Holy'', which Telushkin regards as his major life's work, was published in 2006. It won the

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, to speak before the commission in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

. In 2014, Telushkin released '' Rebbe'', which appeared on all the major bestseller lists including New York Times Best Seller list, ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''. Telushkin tours the United States as a lecturer on Jewish topics, and he has been named by Talk Magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States. He wrote the episode 'Bar Mitzvah' on ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

'', guest-starring Kirk Douglas.

Works

*''A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1: You Shall Be Holy'' *''A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 2: Love Your Neighbor As Yourself'' *''Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History'' *''The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living'' *''Words that Hurt, Words that Heal: How to Use Words Wisely and Well'' *''Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews'' *''Biblical Literacy: The Most Important People, Events and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible'' *''Jewish Wisdom: Ethical, Spiritual and Historical Lessons from the Great Works and Thinkers'' *''The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life'' * *''The Golden Land: The Story of Jewish Immigration to America'' *''Rabbi Daniel Winter'' mystery series, comprising: **''The Unorthodox Murder of Rabbi Wahl'' (also published as ''The Unorthodox Murder of Rabbi Moss'') **''The Final Analysis of Dr. Stark'' **''An Eye for an Eye'' *''Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism'' (with Dennis Prager) *''Why the Jews: The Reason for Antisemitism'' (with Dennis Prager) *'' Heaven's Witness'' (with Allen Estrin) *'' The Quarrel'' * (with Dennis Prager) * * ''The Case for Jewish Peoplehood: Can We Be One?, by

Erica Brown Erica Brown (born September 7, 1966) is an American writer and educator who lectures widely on subjects of Jewish interest and is scholar-in-residence for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and a consultant to other Jewish organization ...

, Misha Galperin, and Joseph Telushkin, 2009 *''Hillel: If Not Now, When?'' *'' Rebbe: The life and teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the most influential Rabbi in Modern History'' (2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telushkin, Joseph American non-fiction writers Jewish American writers Living people Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Writers on antisemitism 1948 births American Orthodox rabbis Scholars of antisemitism Columbia University alumni 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis