G-d willing, this coming Friday, the 2nd of Tamuz, June 19, at 9:00 AM, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, will give a lecture at Oz veGaon on the topic: “The Holiness of the Settlements”.
Rabbi Riskin was born in Brooklyn, New York. He studied in Yeshiva University and attained rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik. During the years 1963-1977 he taught Tanach and Talmud at Yeshiva University and served as rabbi of the Lincoln Square Synagogue, which is located near Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
He came on aliya to Israel in 1983 together with 195 families from his congregation in New York to establish the community of Efrat in Gush Etzion. Rabbi Riskin has served as the rabbi of Efrat ever since its founding. He founded the Ohr Torah Stone institutions, which include the Neve Hannah ulpana in Gush Etzion, the high school yeshiva Neve Shmuel, the Derech Avot High School in Efrat, the Lindenbaum Midrasha, the Shiakh Yizhak Yeshiva, the NGO Yad Laisha, the Amiel Institute, the institute to train women rabbinical advocates and the Mahanaim Yeshiva.
Within the religious Zionist community, Rabbi Riskin’s world view is considered to be open and innovative.
Rabbi Riskin’s name has lately appeared in the headlines because of an attempt by certain people in the rabbinate to end his tenure as rabbi of Efrat. In response, a huge wave of support for the rabbi’s highly appreciated continued activity arose and we hope that Rabbi Riskin will continue for many more years to lead in the position of rabbi with health and joy and great love of the Land of Israel.
It promises to be a fascinating lecture. Come one come all. The lecture will be in Hebrew with simultaneous translation to English.
For Transportation: by preregistration:
From Jerusalem: Renee Margolis 052-3294194
From Kiryat Arba Hevron Rivka Ryback 054-8034853
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar