Shmuel Herzfeld

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, born October 9, 1974 in Staten Island, (also known as Shmuel or Rav Shmuel) is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi who heads the National Synagogue, of Washington, DC. He is a teacher, lecturer, and activist.

Herzfeld received his smicha from the Rabbi Issac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1999. He also received a Masters in Medieval Jewish History from Yeshiva University under the guidance of Dr. Haym Soloveitchik, where he wrote on the topic of Hechlid Be-Miut Simanim. He then served as the assistant Rabbi under Rabbi Avi Weiss at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale from 1999 – 2004, before transferring to Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue.

Herzfeld hosts a weekly radio show called “Shmoozin with Shmuel,” which is aimed at Jews in the Washington, DC community [http://www.wust1120.com/programming.html WUST 1120 Programming Guide] , and frequently writes columns in newspapers. His writings have appeared in many publications including, The New York Times, the New York Sun, The Jewish Week, The Forward, and Washington Jewish Week. He has appeared often in the national news, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, CNN, and Fox News. The person is regarded as an important figure in Modern Orthodox Judaism.

His Torah thoughts are archived at his personal website. [http://www.rabbishmuel.com]

Activism

Herzfeld has been a very active Jewish Orthodox actvist. He has been vocal on many issues, including supporting Israel, teaching Jews about Judaism, and issues of anti-Semitism. Herzfeld is currently the Vice President for Amcha - the coalition for Jewish concerns, a grass-roots coalition which engages in pro-Jewish activism. [http://amchacjc.org Amcha]

Recent Controversy

Herzfeld recently had an article published in the New York Times, titled "Dark Meat." ["http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/opinion/06herzfeld.html?ref=opinion Dark Meat] This article has attracted an extreme amount of media attention, including NPR, other newspapers, and many blogs.

Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue

Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue is the oldest continuous Orthodox synagogue operating in Washington, DC.

It was founded in 1886 by Russian immigrants, and moved several times to other locations in Washington, before ending up at its current location at 16th and Jonquil Streets, in Washington DC, in 1960. The synagogue was noted for its Cantor, Moshe Yoelson, the father of Al Jolson.

Herzfeld joined the synagogue in 2004, with a vision of taking the spirit of the synagogue out to the community and to welcome all Jews regardless of their prior Jewish background or training. He has been very successful, increasing the membership from 20 families to approximately 350 families today. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21499-2004Sep14.html A Rabbi's Unorthodox Revival]

References

External Links

[http://www.ostns.org Ohev Sholom: The National Synagogue]