Shmuel Auerbach ( he, שמואל אורבך) (September 21, 1931 – February 24, 2018) was a
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
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 ...
in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Rav Auerbach led a large portion of more radical elements of the non-Hasidic Haredi community. His followers formed a political party known as the
Jerusalem Faction. In 2013, as the Israeli government launched a campaign to draft Ultra Orthodox men into the IDF, the Jerusalem Faction adopted a controversial policy of demonstrations and incitement against efforts to draft Haredi men into military service.
Biography
Rav Auerbach was the eldest son of Rabbi
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and his wife, Chaya Rivka Ruchamkin.
He was born in the Jerusalem neighborhood of
Sha'arei Hesed, as was his father.
He married Rachel Paksher (d. 11 January 1990). They had no children. He named his
musar ''
sefer'' ''Ohel Rachel'' in her memory. He resided in the
Sha'arei Hesed neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Rabbinic career
Auerbach was the
rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas
Maalot HaTorah and the ''Nasi'' (president) of Yeshivas
Midrash Shmuel and Yeshivas Toras Simcha, both in Jerusalem. For a short time, he also served as one of the roshei yeshiva of
Yeshivas Itri
Yeshivas Itri ( he, ישיבת איתרי) is an Orthodox yeshiva in southeast Jerusalem. Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Mordechai Elefant, the yeshiva has several branches in Israel and the United States, and spawned several educational programs for D ...
in Jerusalem.
He was the head of the
Bnei Torah party (colloquially referred to as "Etz"), which he founded.
See also
*
Protest against conscription of yeshiva students
References
External links
Photo of Shmuel Auerbach with his parents and siblings, circa 1936Photos of Rabbi Auerbach with Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv
on Sukkot 2010
Video: Rav Shmuel Auerbach Lighting Menorah (2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Shmuel
20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem
21st-century rabbis in Jerusalem
Haredi rabbis in Israel
Israeli Rosh yeshivas
1931 births
2018 deaths