It has been several weeks since we last communicated in this venue. I will begin with the Hakarat HaTov Corner:
1. Thank you to Rabbi Yitzchak and Tiferet Sprung and the members of the UOS community for their warm hospitality over Shabbat two weeks ago. I am looking forward to the Sprung family joining us the weekend of March 1-2, 2024. I know we will show then an equally warm welcome in our community!
2. It was so special to participate in the wedding of Amanda Steinborn and Robert Hakakian, and to spend time with our community members who traveled to Cabo to attend the wedding. A special thank you to Vivian for her gracious hospitality, attending to every detail to make her many guests feel comfortable over the course of a magical weekend in Cabo.
3. A special thank you as well to Rabbi Yedidia Shofet, Hazzan, mohel and assistant Rabbi of the Nessah community in Los Angeles (a former MSOTW), and his wife, Jennifer. Rabbi Shofet served as Hazzan and Mesader Kiddushin at the wedding and the Shofets couldn’t have been nicer, more welcoming people. Rabbi Shofet is a fascinating blend of a classic Ashkenazi Yeshiva education and a deep dedication to the rich heritage of the Persian Jewish community. Rabbi Shofet’s father, Rabbi David Shofet, is the senior Persian Rabbi in Los Angeles, heading the Nessah community since 1980 when he fled Iran. His grandfather and namesake, Hakham Yedidia Shofet (1908-2005), served as chief Rabbi of Iran from 1922-1980. At our table at the wedding, virtually every couple had been married by Hakham Yedidia, and he had done the britot for many of the men, and their sons. Here is a recording of Hakham Yedidia officiating a wedding in 1958. Rabbi’s Recommendations
1. On the subject of Iranian Jewry, this article from 2018 describes the growth of a Torah community of Iranian Jews. Many of the Jews who left Iran were educated secular, albeit traditional, and when they came to the United States, they began to gravitate toward non-Orthodox synagogues. Rabbi Herman Neuberger of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College worked tirelessly to free thousands of young Persian Jews; many of those young men enrolled in Ner Israel; at one time, Ner’s acronym- NIRC- was jokingly known as Neuberger’s Iranian Refugee Camp! These young men eventually became the future Rabbinic and lay leaders of the Persian community and have created a Torah community of Persian Jews in several cities- Los Angeles, Baltimore, Atlanta and Great Neck, New York.
2. Rabbi Zvulun Charlop, former Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS from 1971-2008, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94. Anyone who studied at RIETS between 1971-2008 had the experience of meeting with Rabbi Zevulun Charlop zt"l, while he wrote down everything that was said or transpired in your conversation. Volumes upon volumes of those big black books lined the bookshelves of his office; I and many others have often reflected that their contents could be highly dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands (indeed, I've been told that they have been put into safekeeping for this very reason). Rabbi Charlop was a brilliant Talmid chochom with an amazing memory and a wide array of interests, but he was a legend not just for what he wrote down, but for who he built up- several generations of Rabbis and communal leaders, through his insight, kindness and steady hand. He was also deeply dedicated to the Young Israel of Mosholu Parkway, the shul he served with distinction for over five decades, long after all the members had left and the building had fallen into disrepair. Rabbi Charlop only left his shul when he could no longer live easily on his own. See here for an article about Rabbi Charlop’s dedication. May his memory be for a blessing and may his many chassadim, which were also inscribed in an eternal record, stand him in good stead. If you are anything like me, you’ve been following the disturbing, bizarre and somewhat humorous saga of the tunnel dug into 770 Eastern Parkway, the iconic building that serves as the nerve center of worldwide Lubavitch activities. For an explanation of the people and the factors that led to this development, read this excellent essay.
Last Time’s MSOTW
Changing demographics in the community where this shul is located caused its original status, as a Conservative congregation, to lose long-term viability. In time, the shul became Orthodox and now it is the local “minyan factory.” The shul is Ahavath Israel of Passaic, New Jersey, featuring minyanim around the clock. It has been led for three decades by Rabbi Ron Yitzchak Eisenman. MSOTW
A magnificent building serving many Jews, but only a small local community. The ark is modeled after another in the community in which the benefactor grew up. Name the shul, and, for bonus points, the synagogue after which the Aron Kodesh is patterned.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
