Yitzchak Dovid Grossman
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Yitzchak Dovid Grossman ( he, יצחק דוד גרוסמן) (born 15 September 1946 in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
), also known as the "Disco Rabbi", is the
Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
of
Migdal HaEmek Migdal HaEmek ( he, מִגְדַּל הָעֶמֶק, lit. ''Tower of the Valley'', also officially spelt Migdal HaEmeq, ar, مجدال هعيمق) is a city in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . There is a tower to ...
, founder and dean of
Migdal Ohr Migdal Ohr ( he, מגדל אור, ''lit.'' Tower of Light) is one of Israel's largest NGO's. The main and additional two residential campuses along with 160 youth clubs provide educational frameworks and social guidance for over 10,000 children and ...
educational institutions, and a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel. He is known for his work with children from disadvantaged and troubled homes, having rehabilitated tens of thousands of youth through his educational network founded in 1972.


Biography

Grossman is a sixth-generation Jerusalemite and the scion of a prominent Hasidic family. His father, Rabbi Yisrael Grossman, served as
rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
of
Pinsk-Karlin Pinsk-Karlin is a Hasidic group that is an offshoot of Karlin-Stolin. History A distinguished group of the elders of Karlin did not accept the leadership of the present Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe, who was a baby when his predecessor died. They asked t ...
and of
Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...
in Lod, and was a member of the
rabbinical court A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
of
Agudat Yisrael Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...
. His mother, Perl (1923–2012), was the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Gutfarb, a teacher at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in the
Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...
. He is one of six brothers and four sisters. He grew up in the
Mea Shearim Mea Shearim ( he, מאה שערים, lit., "hundred gates"; contextually, "a hundred fold") is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Haredi Jews, and was built by members of the Old Yish ...
neighborhood of Jerusalem and attended Yeshivas Karlin. An alumnus of
Slabodka yeshiva Slabodka yeshiva may refer to: * Hebron Yeshiva, a branch of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Hebron, relocated afterward to Jerusalem * Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), a branch of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak * Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Ye ...
in
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...
, Grossman received rabbinical ordination in 1966. Desiring to do religious outreach in one of Israel's secular neighborhoods, he moved to the Lower
Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...
town of Migdal HaEmek in 1968. Migdal HaEmek was founded in 1953 to help absorb the mass
aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
of
Sephardi Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
immigrants from North Africa, Migdal HaEmek's population growth drastically outpaced its socioeconomic and educational infrastructure. With a shortage of jobs and dearth of schools, the town was plagued by widespread crime and alcohol and drug abuse. Grossman, looking every inch the
Hasidic 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 ...
rabbi with his beard and sidelocks, embarked on a one-man campaign to rehabilitate Sephardi youth immersed in crime and drug use. He went straight to the pubs and discos where idle youth from distressed homes were hanging out and gained their trust with love and caring. In 1970
Israeli television Television in Israel refers to television broadcasting services in the State of Israel, inaugurated on March 24, 1966. Initially, there was one state-owned channel, operated jointly by the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Israeli Educational ...
dubbed him the "Disco Rabbi". In 1969, one year after his arrival, the town unanimously elected him Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek, giving him lifetime tenure. At age 23, he was the youngest municipal Chief Rabbi in Israel. In 1972 Grossman founded the Migdal Ohr (Tower of Light) educational network to give children a loving and caring environment at the age of 6 or 7 so that they could circumvent the cycle of crime and drug abuse that plagued the town's teens and adults. The year of its founding Migdal Ohr enrolled 18 students. By its second year it had doubled in size. Migdal Ohr now enrolls over 6,000 boys and girls in 15 high schools and elementary schools and seven daycare centers occupying a campus. As of 2013, it had educated over 17,000 children; one graduate, formerly a 12-year-old dropout, went on to become a
member of Knesset Lists of Knesset members cover members of the Knesset of Israel. They are organized by session, by ethnicity and by position. By session * List of members of the first Knesset (1949–51) * List of members of the second Knesset (1951–55) * Lis ...
. Through his discussions with youth, Grossman found out that many children had a father or brother in prison. In 1974 he initiated ''Shaked'' – Rehabilitation Through Religion, now operating in all Israeli prisons, which has reduced the
recidivism Recidivism (; from ''recidive'' and ''ism'', from Latin ''recidīvus'' "recurring", from ''re-'' "back" and ''cadō'' "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of th ...
rate of its participants to 20 percent. This program gives over 900 inmates, mostly jailed for drug-dealing and armed robbery, the choice to study in a prison
kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
on a voluntary basis for three to four hours a day. Rabbis and teachers deliver ''
shiurim Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc. History The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Ju ...
'' (
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
classes) and build the prisoners' Torah knowledge, while at the same time mentoring the prisoners' families to prepare a new support system after release. Participants have one-third of their sentence reduced for good behavior. Hundreds of released inmates have become '' ba'alei teshuva'' (returnees to the faith) through this program and work as rabbis, Torah teachers, and kollel students. For his contribution, Grossman received the honorary title of ''Avi Ha'asirim'' (Father of the Prisoners) from the Israeli government, a title originally bestowed on Rabbi
Aryeh Levin Aryeh Levin ( he, אריה לוין; March 22, 1885 - March 28, 1969) was an Orthodox rabbi dubbed the "Father of Prisoners" for his visits to members of the Jewish underground imprisoned in the Central Prison of Jerusalem in the Russian Compo ...
. Grossman has been offered the position of
Chief Rabbi of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel ( he, הָרַבָּנוּת הָרָאשִׁית לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Co ...
twice, but declined both times in favor of continuing his outreach work in Migdal HaEmek.


2006 Lebanon War

During the
2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...
, Grossman used his location in the north of Israel to provide services to soldiers suffering from the government’s inefficient handling of troops and supplies. In one instance, he opened the Migdal Ohr campus to 700 Israeli
paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
s of the
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
Brigade 85 who were stranded in a tank
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
in
Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...
, hosting them for swimming, a barbecue and dancing with live Hasidic music. In another case, he let 700 Living Legend Rabbi Grossman of Migdal HaEmek members of the 8th Paratrooper Battalion use Migdal Ohr as their home base during the three weeks of the war, supplying clean clothing, new gear, and use of the recreational facilities. He also arranged a '' Hachnosas Sefer Torah'' ceremony for them and blessed them with safety and success. When the war ended, he invited all 700 soldiers back to Migdal Ohr for another party.


Maccabi preseason exhibition game

A preseason exhibition game between the Israeli Maccabi team and the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
is one of Migdal Ohr's biggest
fund-raising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
events. In 2009, Grossman's attempt to mediate the ejection of the Israeli coach resulted in coverage in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'', and other papers.


Malka Leifer and Eliezer Berland advocacy

In March 2018, Grossman testified for bail to be given in the case of former school principal Malka Leifer, who is accused of rape and 74 counts of sexual abuse incidents at Adass Israel School in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. Leifer has been avoiding extradition to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Leifer's husband, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (Jacob) Leifer, also fled to Israel with her, where he now heads the small Chust
Hassidic 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 ...
community in
Emmanuel Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...
, where his wife has been living and was arrested. On March 7, 2018, Grossman argued that it was a "humiliation" for Leifer to remain in custody while awaiting trial and she was released to his custody. A backlash ensued, and Grossman withdrew his support of Leifer, who was then imprisoned. Migdal Ohr claims child protection on its agenda, and the Israeli government is its major funder. Migdal Ohr also relies on substantial funding from foreign governments,
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
s, and private donors; the United States, among others, demanded that Grossman rescind support for Leifer.
Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...
reported that, according to sources interviewed, Grossman was aware of the allegations from 2012, and supported Leifer; “Rabbi Grossman didn't have a moral realisation”, the source said. “He didn't issue an apology for the hurt caused”. Leifer at the time was also awaiting trial in Israel for fraudulently claiming mental illness and incapacitation in order to avoid extradition. In 2016, Grossman twice appeared before a court in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to negotiate the release from prison of former Shuvu Banim Torah Academy school dean Rabbi
Eliezer Berland Eliezer Berland (born December 26, 1937) is an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rabbi, convicted sex offender and fraudster affiliated with the Breslov Hasidic movement in Israel. He is "rosh yeshiva" (head of the yeshiva) of Yeshivat Shuvu Bonim (also ...
, who later confessed to rape and assault.


Awards

In 1983 Grossman received the Love of Israel award from the
President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...
,
Chaim Herzog Major-General Chaim Herzog ( he, חיים הרצוג; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Irish-born Israeli politician, general, lawyer and author who served as the sixth President of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and ...
. In October 1991 he was honored with the Tolerance Prize, presented by
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
chairman
Dov Shilansky Dov Shilansky ( he, דב שילנסקי, 21 March 1924 – 9 December 2010) was an Israeli lawyer, politician and Speaker of the Knesset from 1988 to 1992. Biography Dov Shilansky (born Berelis Šilianskis) was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania. He ...
at a special parliamentary ceremony. In 2004 Grossman received the
Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel. The Caring Institute named him International Humanitarian of the Year in 2009. Grossman received an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
from
Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
in 2006. In 2013 Grossman was awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction by President of Israel
Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
.


Family

Grossman and his wife, Esther, have five children. He is the uncle (by marriage) of
Rivka Holtzberg Rebecca or Rebekah (Hebrew: רִבְקָה (''Rivkah'')) is a feminine given name originating from the Hebrew language. The name comes from the verb רבק (''rbq''), meaning "to tie firmly"; Jones' ''Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names'' an ...
, co-director of the
Nariman House The Nariman House, designated as a Chabad house ( he, בית חב"ד '), is a five-storey landmark in the Colaba area of South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The building was home to a Chabad house, a Jewish outreach centre run by Gavriel and Rivk ...
Chabad center, who was murdered together with her husband Gavriel in the
November 2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from Pakistan, ...
. Gavriel's father is an administrator in one of the Migdal Ohr's elementary schools for girls.


See also

*
List of Israel Prize recipients This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022. List For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...


References


External links


The Jerusalem Post - A Tower of Light: Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossman, Yitzhak Hasidic rabbis in Israel Chief rabbis of cities in Israel Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Hasidim Israel Prize for lifetime achievement & special contribution to society recipients Israel Prize Rabbi recipients People from Jerusalem People from Migdal HaEmek 1946 births Living people Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Distinction of Israel