Azriel Graeber

Azriel Graeber is a freelance journalist and founder of the Jewish Scholarship Society. He is also known under his pen name, Azriel Radifker. He has contributed to several journals, periodicals and newspapers ranging on many topics. His organization which is a branch of his journalistic interests, actively attempts to bridge several sectors of Judaism together.

Jewish Scholarship Society

The Jewish Scholarship Society, also known as "Der Yiddisher Gelerntkeit Gelzelshaft", according to its mission statement is to, "cultivate a joint culture of Orthodox Judaism and Yiddishism".

Historically Yiddishism was focused mainly on the tradition and culture of the Jewish religion, often overlooking the codes, laws and morals of the faith. In most Yiddishist circles the active observance of the religion was aggressively omitted from their lifestyles. Antagonism by the Yiddishists towards religious Jews was often brutal, adding to the larger opposition of its movement.

This organization made up of Orthodox Jews, actively tries to mesh many Yiddishist principals with a regular active Jewish lifestyle.

It was founded in 2005 in Jerusalem to great fanfare. The minutes of the founding meeting were published in numerous sources. It was attened by both religious scholars and Yiddishist leaders; the first gathering of leaders from both sides in history. A formal apology by Dr. Adolph Freshriver was offered on behalf of the many Yiddishist perpetraitors of crimes against the religious Jews of Krakow in 1928.

The societies library, located in its headquarters, holds a vast collection of books and journals. Titles range from biographies of notable Jewish personalities to books on the arts and sciences. Talks are underway with YIVO to have automatic joint memberships.

Journalism

Graeber, a freelance journalist has written on many topics, mostly within the scope of Jewish studies. He has been published in most Jewish newspapers, as well as on several on-line news sources. Subjects of his writing have included graphology, Rabbinical history, dangerous animals and several works of fiction. His most recent essay, "Eybeschutz–Emden Controversy Alive And Well", appeared this past March. [ [http://www.5tjt.com/news/PrintArticle.asp?Id=2232 Link to "Eybeschutz–Emden Controversy Alive And Well" Essay] ]

Several notable essays include: "The Spanish Chalav Yisroel contoversy of 1763 and its affects on the Jews of Barcelona", "Slobodka Yeshiva: Myth or Musser" and "How Hungarian Jews have ruined American Judaism: A Complete History". He is a guest editor of "Torah Personality Encyclopedia", a collection of biographical sketches of rabbinic figures spanning the 2,000 year exile.

His article "How Hungarian Jews have ruined American Judaism: A Complete History" won the "Rabbi Solomon Schechter Literary Award", and was published in March 2007 in "Rabbi Louis Finkelstein Quarterly" ("Spring 2007, Vol. 48"). Other awards include the annually awarded "Chazon Ish Grant" for his contribution to the study of the prohibitions involved in "Amirah L'Otzmoi". He was also awarded the "Excellence In Holocaust Studies" award.

His first book, tentatively titled "The Dewey Decimal System's Jewish Inventors", is due for publication in January 2010

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