That was uniquely Joe—having the foresight, ability and confidence to imagine what the OU could become beyond its important core programs. Where the OU is today, its stature and expanding reach, is a tribute to what he once envisioned.
When Rav Betzalel Zolty, zt”l, the chief rabbi of Yerushalayim, delivered the hesped (eulogy) for Rav Elimelech Bar-Shaul, zt”l, the chief rabbi of Rechovot, he commenced with a quotation from the hesped Dovid HaMelech gave for Yehonatan: “Tzar li alecha achi Yehonatan; na’amta li me’od, I am distressed over you, my brother Yehonatan; you were so pleasant to me.” Rav Zolty questioned Dovid HaMelech’s use of the word “achi, brother.”
The passing of Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, last year marked the end of a remarkable life, brilliant mind and revolutionary posek. As others have noted, Rav Ovadia reinstated the Sephardic tradition of following Rav Yosef Karo’s Shulchan Aruch, which had previously been surpassed by the Ben Ish Chai. Rav Yosef accomplished this through encyclopedic […]
Moe Feuerstein, a man with a vision of the role of religion in life—a legend in his time. To be sure, Moe was a real person, with feelings, emotions, sensitivities. He was a loving husband for sixty-five years to his dear wife and partner, Shirley; a rightfully proud father, grandfather and great-grandfather; a warm, compassionate […]