Moshe Zemer
Moshe Zemer (born January 1, 1932 in Kansas City , USA ; † November 2, 2011 in Tel Aviv ; originally Melvin Ray Zager ) was a leading rabbi of Reform Judaism in Israel , where he had lived since 1963.
Life
Zemer was born in Kansas City and grew up in Cleveland . When he lost his mother at the age of eight, his father gave him to his brother and sister-in-law for adoption in Omaha , where Zemer attended schools. In 1945 he moved with his family to Los Angeles , where he graduated from UCLA with a BA in psychology in 1953 . He graduated from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati with a doctorate in Jewish studies and was ordained there as a rabbi . After further studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , he became a rabbi at a parish in Baltimore in 1961 , until he immigrated to Israel in 1963 . Here he became rabbi of the Kehillat Sharon in Kfar Shemaryahu, founded the community for progressive Judaism in Ramat Gan in 1964 and finally the Kedem community for progressive Judaism in Tel Aviv in 1968 , which he chaired for 20 years.
He is considered one of the founders of the Israeli movement for “progressive” (reform) Judaism. Rabbi Zemer was president of the Conference of Progressive Rabbis in Israel, a member of the executive board of the Israeli Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, and a member of the executive board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
His personal focus was the development of a progressive approach to the Jewish religious law, the Halacha . In addition, he published numerous books and essays. Among the most important are those that he published as co-editor with the American rabbi Walter Jacob in the series Studies in Progressive Halakhah . In 1990 he founded the Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah .
Web links
- Literature by and about Moshe Zemer in the catalog of the German National Library
- Solomon B. Freehof Institute of Progressive Jewish Law
Individual evidence
- ↑ Between attachment and freedom: The Israeli halacha expert Moshe Zemer has died , accessed on December 25, 2011.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zemer, Moshe |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Melvin Ray Zager |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Israeli rabbi of Reform Judaism |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 1, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kansas City , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 2, 2011 |
| Place of death | Tel Aviv |