Marc D. Angel (born July 1945) is an Open Orthodox rabbi and author, Rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City, a position he has held since 1969.[1][2]

Rabbi
Marc D. Angel
Rabbi Angel speaking
Personal
BornJuly 1945
ReligionJudaism
NationalityAmerican
DenominationModern Orthodox Judaism (Open Orthodoxy)
Alma mater
OccupationRabbi and author
SynagogueCongregation Shearith Israel
SemikhahRIETS

Biography

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Born into Seattle's Sephardic Jewish community, his ancestors are Ottoman Sephardim from Turkey and Rhodes, and he grew up in a Ladino-speaking home.[1]

He received his B.A., M.S., Ph.D., Th.D. honoris causa, and semikhah (rabbinical ordination) from Yeshiva University; he also has an M.A. in English literature from the City College of New York. He has received the Bernard Revel Award in Religion and Religious Education.[3] He was president of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA),[4] and a member of the editorial board of its journal, Tradition.

In 2007, he established the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.[citation needed] He directs the Institute and edits its journal, Conversations, which appears three times per year and is a voice of Open Orthodoxy. In 2007, he and Rabbi Avi Weiss co-founded the International Rabbinic Fellowship,[5] the Open Orthodox rabbinic group, "to counter what they see as a rightward shift in the Orthodox community"[5] and reduce centralization of rabbinate authority, though they remained RCA members.

A prolific author, he has written several controversial books and articles that have taken issue with and challenged traditional Orthodox views and the Rabbinate.

Works

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  • A Sephardic Haggadah: Translation and Commentary (Hoboken, New Jersey, 1988)
  • The Jews of Rhodes, The History of a Sephardic Community (New York, 1978)
  • La America: The Sephardic Experience in the United States (Philadelphia, 1982)
  • The Rhythms of Jewish Living: A Sephardic Approach (New York, 1986)
  • The Orphaned Adult: Confronting the Death of a Parent (1987)
  • Voices in Exile: A Study in Sephardic Intellectual History (1991)
  • The Essential Pele Yoetz: an Encyclopedia of Ethical Jewish Living (1991)
  • Loving Truth and Peace: The Grand Religious Worldview of Rabbi Benzion Uziel (1999)
  • Remnant of Israel: A Portrait of America's First Jewish Congregation (2004)
  • Losing the Rat Race, Winning at Life (2005)
  • Choosing to be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion (2005)[6]
  • Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi: Gentle Scholar and Courageous Thinker (2006)
  • The Search Committee: A Novel (2008)
  • "Conversion to Judaism: Halakha, Hashkafa, and Historic Challenge", Hakirah, vol. 8 (Brooklyn, 2008)
  • Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism (2009)
  • Maimonides: Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith and Ethics (2012)
  • Reclaiming Orthodox Judaism, a collection of essays, published as issue 12 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals
  • Angel for Shabbat, volumes 1 and 2, published by the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals (2010 and 2013)

Awards

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Family

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In a 2009 interview he stated that he and his wife Gilda Angel[6] "have three children and six grandchildren."[1]

Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals

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In October 2007, Angel founded the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals is a New York-based non-profit organization committed to advancing a culturally diverse and intellectually rational Jewish Orthodoxy. The Institute disseminates its particular vision through the publication of articles, and books as well as the hosting and promotion of lectures.[8] Hayyim Angel, Angels's son, is National Scholar of the institute.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "A Strong Voice of the Sephardic Community". turkofamerica.com. 6 May 2017 [6 October 2009]. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Marc D. Angel (Congregation Shearith Israel)".
  3. ^ "Centennial Celebration with Angel". 5 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Sex tapes rock the Orthodox". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Rosenblatt, Gary (2 May 2008). "Taking On The RCA?". The New York Jewish Week. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Marc Angel (2005). Choosing to be Jewish: the Orthodox Road to Conversion. KTAV Publishing House. ISBN 978-0881-25890-5. I thank my wife , Gilda , and our son , Rabbi Hayyim Angel
  7. ^ "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  8. ^ Lagnado, Caroline (3 March 2015). "For Jews, an odyssey out of the frying pan and into America's melting pot". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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