The International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) is a

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

rabbinical organization founded by Rabbis

Avi Weiss Avraham Haim Yosef (Avi) haCohen Weiss ( he, אברהם חיים יוסף הכהן ווייס; born June 24, 1944) is an American Open Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who led the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in T ...

and Marc D. Angel in 2007 and soon elected Rabbi Barry Gelman as its president. The group is open to graduates of

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) is an Open Orthodox yeshiva, founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Currently located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, its mission is to educate and place rabbis who are "open, n ...

. The group's current president is

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot Nathaniel Helfgot (born April 30, 1963) is an American rabbi. He leads Congregation Netivot Shalom of Teaneck, New Jersey, and served as president of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. Early life Helfgot studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion for ...

. The group is noted for being the only Orthodox rabbinical association to admit

women rabbis Women rabbis are individual Jewish women who have studied Jewish Law and received rabbinical ordination. Women rabbis are prominent in Progressive Jewish denominations, however, the subject of women rabbis in Orthodox Judaism is more complex. Al ...

as members.

Overview

IRF began as a fellowship of Orthodox

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 ...

s and spiritual leaders associated with the Open Orthodox stream within

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

. The organization is viewed as a counterpart to 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 pr ...

, an established modern Orthodox association.Joffe, L. F. (2016). The impact of “foreign law” bans on the struggle for women’s equality under Jewish law in the United States of America. In Women's Rights and Religious Law (pp. 179-201). Routledge. In 2010, the association reportedly consisted of approximately 200 members. The differentiation of the positions held by the IRF from those held by other Orthodox associations have led some to point to the irrelevance of denominational labels in contemporary Judaism. Alternatively, the IRF is evidence of a shifting trend, within modern Orthodoxy, away from fundamentalism. The IRF supports the ordination of women and their role in the clergy. Since 2012, it has admitted female members as members to its association. Prior to this decision, in December 2010, the group had voted against such a proposal. The IRF supports the use of a halachic prenuptial agreement, and in 2012 the group passed a resolution stating that member rabbis may only officiate a wedding if the couple has signed such an agreement.

Publications

* "Halakhic Realities: Collected Essays on Organ Donation" (ed. Zev Farber). Maggid Books, 2017. * "Halakhic Realities: Collected Essays on Brain Death" (ed. Zev Farber). Maggid Books, 2016.

References

External links

* {{Judaism-org-stub Open Orthodox Judaism Rabbinical organizations Jewish organizations established in 2007