Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb (born 1940) is an ordained rabbi, a qualified psychotherapist and the Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union, the largest
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-pa ...
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish organisation in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
; a position he has held since 2002. Rabbi Dr. Weinreb serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the
Koren Talmud Bavli
Koren is a surname or given name, which has multiple origins. Koren may be a variant of the German occupational surname Korn, meaning a dealer in grain. In Slavic-speaking countries, it is a surname derived from a word meaning "root"; variants i ...
with commentary by Rabbi
Adin Steinsaltz
Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (11 July 19377 August 2020) ( he, עדין אבן-ישראל שטיינזלץ) was an Israeli Chabad Chasidic rabbi, teacher, philosopher, social critic, author, translator and publisher.
His '' Steinsaltz edi ...
.
Rabbinic ordination and education
He received his
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 ...
New School for Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...
, and earned his PhD from the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. He served on the Rabbinic Cabinet of
United Jewish Communities
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 146 Jewish Federations and 300 independent Jewish communities across North America, which rais ...
, on the Executive Committee of the
Rabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). It is the main p ...
, and on the boards of various other organizational and educational institutions.
Interaction with the Lubavitcher Rebbe
In what Weinreb calls a "life changing phone call", the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...
, responded to Weinreb's (anonymous) request for advice at a critical point in his life, that he consult with "A Jew in Maryland, whose name is Weinreb". Upon revealing to Rabbi Schneerson that he himself was Rabbi Weinreb, the Rebbe replied that "sometimes one must consult with oneself".
This piece of advice was regarded by Weinreb as highly invigorating and empowering.
Scholar on domestic violence
Rabbi Weinreb is a widely regarded scholar on the subject of domestic violence which helped contributed to his appointment following the Rabbi
Although the presidency of the OU is a leadership position, Rabbi Weinreb acted as the official
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of the organization.
Possible resignation
In early 2007 it was announced that he was to step down from his position, however in an interview with ''
The Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
'' he made it clear that this was not of his own choice,"O.U. Leader Being Pushed Out" Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, January 12, 2007 and following pressure he was asked to retain his position until 2009. JTA, April 26, 2007
In 2009, Rabbi Weinreb was named Executive-Vice President, Emeritus and Rabbi Steven Weil was named as his successor. In July 2009, Rabbi Weil transitioned in and assumed the position of Executive Vice President.
Trip to Israel
During a fact-finding mission to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, he came under armed fire in
Sderot
Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of .
Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the c ...
in May 2007.
Views
Centrism
He is considered an Orthodox centrist.
Interfaith
In 2005, he noted with great sadness the passing of Pope
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...