 Rabbi Shmuel Jakobovits
Rabbi Shmuel Jakobovits (52) graduated from
the Ponevez Yeshiva in B’nei B’rak, Israel and
received ordination as Rabbi and Dayan (Rabbinical Judge)
at the Harry Fischel Institute in Jerusalem. He is a
son of the late Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Harav
Lord Immanuel Jakobovits.
Present Positions
Founder and
Dean
Ura Kevodi,
Association of the Ultra-Orthodox for the Study of
Contemporary Jewish Issues
The Harav Lord Jakobovits Torah
Institute of Contemporary Issues
Ura Kevodi was founded in 1994 with the
blessings of the leading Torah sages in Israel and
abroad. The central aims of Ura Kevodi are: “To
promote the involvement of Jewish religious scholars
and thinkers in the non-coercive, non-political
resolution of contemporary issues; to engage in
dialogue with thinkers, leaders and educators from
all sectors of the Jewish population in Israel and
around the world; and to establish and manage the
requisite institutions to advance the aforesaid
aims.”
Within the framework of Ura Kevodi Rabbi
Jakobovits has pursued his research and analysis of
modern-day strategic issues pertaining to Jewish
society and its relationship with the wider world.
In addition, Rabbi Jakobovits has been actively
promoting constructive dialogue with high-level
Israeli thinkers and key-figures.
In recognition of its contribution to Israeli
society, Rabbi Jakobovits has received on behalf of
Ura Kevodi The 1999 Award for Promotion of
Secular-Religious Dialogue from the Chairman of
the Israeli Parliament, and the written support of
the President of Israel, and former Supreme Court
President, Justice Meir Shamgar, among others.
Recently the activities of Ura Kevodi have
culminated in the establishment in Jerusalem of The
Harav Lord Jakobovits Torah Institute of
Contemporary Issues, which with its six major
departments is designed to carry out the
aforementioned aims on a larger scale.
Co-Founder
and Member of Presidium
The Yachad Council
For Secular-Religious Relations
The statutory YachadCouncil was established by an Israeli
government act and is affiliated with the Israeli
Presidency. It is comprised of prominent scholars
and thinkers from all segments of Israeli society,
and meets regularly to discuss issues affecting
modern life in Israel and relationships between
society and State, including issues such as Sabbath
observance and organ transplants. Although the
Council is strictly non-political, it makes formal
recommendations to Israeli State institutions and
members of Parliament.
Founder and
Chairman
The Conference of
Torah Thinkers
This is a forum of preeminent Rabbis and
Ultra-Orthodox thinkers whose purpose is to examine
the far-reaching contemporary challenges facing the
Torah community.
Co-Founder
and Chairman
Dialogue Between
Worlds Project
The project brings together prominent Rabbis
and secular thinkers to hold discussions on the
crucial issues facing Jewry today. It is held in
collaboration with the Van-Leer Jerusalem Institute.
Co-Founder
and Co-Director
Preparation of Torah
Leaders for Inter-Communal Dialogue - Training
Course
The course is designed to train Ultra-Orthodox
Rabbis, educators, media professionals and public
figures to develop the necessary skills for positive
and constructive dialogue with the secular segment
of society. It is held in Jerusalem in cooperation
with Manof, the Center for Jewish Information.
Committee
Advisor
Partnership 2000
Jerusalem – New York
The Partnership is a joint project of
the Jerusalem Inter-Cultural Center, the UJA, the Jewish
Agency, and the Jerusalem Municipality, and aims to fund
and advance community projects aimed at promoting
dialogue and partnerships between diverse groups in
Israeli society, with emphasis on resolving pressing
social problems and community leadership training.
Researcher
and Editor
The Harry Fischel
Institute, Ariel Institutes, Jerusalem
Past Positions
|
1996-1998 |
Co-editor of the Artscroll Schottenstein Talmud
(Hebrew edition) |
| 1996 |
Member of the government-appointed Zameret
Committee For Religious-Secular Relationships,
Jerusalem |
| 1997 |
Member of
the Forum For Religious-Secular Relationships, at
the Israel Institute of Democracy, chaired by former
Chief Justice Shamgar. Rabbi Jakobovits presented to the
forum a proposal for Autonomous Communities – Common
National Infrastructure. This proposal has become
the foundation for discussions on this topic in a number
of committees and frameworks. |
| 1999 |
Co-founder and steering-committee member of the Toward a National Consensus forum. The forum
was attended by 400 people of diverse backgrounds who
discussed issues of joint concern, with the aim of
maintaining peace and brotherhood between opposing
groups of Jews. |
| 1999-2000 |
Member of a committee
formed by the Minister for Israeli Society and the
Jewish world at the Prime Minister’s office, whose
work culminated in the formation of The Yachad
Council by an Israeli Government Act |
Publications
Halachic Principles
Regarding Fetuses and the Terminally Ill
This treatise has become the basis for ongoing
study on these issues in cooperation with senior
scholars such as Rabbi Nechemiah Goldberg, Rabbi Avigdor
Nebentzal, and Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Stern.
The Haredi Position
This paper explains the positions of the Torah
community and was presented to the World
Conference of Orthodox Leadership. The paper summarizes
the ultra-orthodox positions on a range of vital issues,
including the centrality of Torah to the Jewish
people, the unity of the Jewish nation, and the
Ultra-Orthodox attitude to the State of Israel. The
paper has generated much discussion on these issues.
The Ultra-Orthodox Position Regarding the State of
Israel
The Ultra-Orthodox Vision -
Collected Essays, Position Papers and Lectures
(unpublished)
Can there be Ideological Dialogue
Between the Religious and Secular Jews in Israel?
(unpublished)
Dialogue in Jerusalem? –Proceedings of
“A Meeting with Ultra-Orthodox Thinkers” at the City
Hall of Jerusalem, 1995
(as contributor and editor)
Jewish Solidarity: Antidote to
Assimilation – Selected Essays of a Haredi Spokesman in
Dialogue with All Sectors of the Jewish People
Ahavat Torah – a Compendium of Torah
Essays
(As editor)
Mihsnat Hasar – a Collection of the
Hebrew Writings Of Harav Lord Jakobovits
(As editor; published by Mossad Harav Kook)
Rashi Hashalem
(As co-editor, at Ariel Institutes, vols. 1-5)
The Schottenstein Talmud (Hebrew
edition)
(As co-editor of vols. 1-7)
|
