Chaim Dov Keller
Encyclopedia
Chaim Dov Keller is a Haredi
rabbi
,
Talmud
ic scholar, co-founder and co-rosh yeshiva
("dean") of the Telshe Yeshiva
in Chicago
. He has written in Haredi newspapers such as the Yated Ne'eman
in the United States.
. He subsequently attended the Telshe yeshiva after it was established in Cleveland, Ohio
in 1940 by Rabbis Chaim Mordechai Katz
and Eliyahu Meir Bloch. Rabbi Keller became a student and disciple of Rabbi Bloch in particular.
in Cleveland to oversee the establishment of a similar yeshiva
devoted to serious Talmud
ic studies in Chicago in 1960. The new institution was to carry the same name as its mother institution, hence the birth of Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago. The yeshiva is the main non-Hasidic Lithuanian
(Misnagdish
) yeshiva in Chicago. Rabbi Keller and his co-dean are regarded as the leading Agudath Israel-affiliated rabbis in Chicago, with Rabbi Levin serving as a full member of the national Agudah's top policy-making body, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
while Rabbi Keller is a member of the level below the Moetzes which on Agudah's Presidium (Nesius in Hebrew.)
to which they belong. While Rabbi Avraham Chaim Levin was elevated to a seat on the exclusive American Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
("Council of Torah Sages") of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Keller became a member of its "Nesius" ("Presidium"), a lesser yet still prestigious appointment. Thus at Agudath Israel's premier event, its annual convention, Rabbi Keller has frequently been one of the official rabbis and rosh yeshivas designated to give official speeches or lecture, such as at the: 77th Agudah convention in 1999 (symposium, "Drawing Lines, Drawing Near -- Securing The Future Of American Jewry"); 80th Agudah convention in 2002 (plenary session, "What in the World is Going On? -- Searching for Meaning in the Maelstrom"); 83rd Agudah convention in 2005 ("Shabbat
speakers");
Rabbi Keller has also written a widely published obituary on Rabbi Raphael Baruch Sorotzkin, Telshe rosh yeshiva
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
,
Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar, co-founder and co-rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
("dean") of the Telshe Yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva (Chicago)
Telshe Yeshiva is a Yeshiva located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He has written in Haredi newspapers such as the Yated Ne'eman
Yated Ne'eman (United States)
Yated Ne'eman is a weekly Haredi newspaper/magazine that is based in Monsey, New York and published in English and distributed mostly in the New York City metropolitan area where large communities of Haredi Jews reside...
in the United States.
Biography
Rabbi Keller was born in New York City and attended Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
. He subsequently attended the Telshe yeshiva after it was established in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
in 1940 by Rabbis Chaim Mordechai Katz
Chaim Mordechai Katz
Chaim Mordechai Katz was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.- Pre-War Years :...
and Eliyahu Meir Bloch. Rabbi Keller became a student and disciple of Rabbi Bloch in particular.
Telshe yeshiva in Chicago and Agudath Israel of America
Rabbi Keller, together with Rabbi Avraham Chaim Levin, were hand-picked by the leadership of the Telshe yeshivaTelshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva was a famous Eastern European yeshiva founded in the Lithuanian town of Telšiai. After World War II the yeshiva relocated to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is currently known as the Rabbinical College of Telshe, It is one of the most prominent Haredi institutions of Torah...
in Cleveland to oversee the establishment of a similar yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
devoted to serious Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic studies in Chicago in 1960. The new institution was to carry the same name as its mother institution, hence the birth of Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago. The yeshiva is the main non-Hasidic Lithuanian
History of the Jews in Lithuania
The history of the Jews in Lithuania spans the period from the eighth century to the present day. There is still a small community in that country, as well as an extensive Lithuanian Jewish diaspora in Israel, the United States and other countries. For more detail, see Lithuanian Jews.-Early...
(Misnagdish
Misnagdim
Misnagdim or Mitnagdim is a Hebrew word meaning "opponents". It is the plural of misnaged or mitnaged. Most prominent among the Misnagdim was Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman , commonly known as the Vilna Gaon or the Gra...
) yeshiva in Chicago. Rabbi Keller and his co-dean are regarded as the leading Agudath Israel-affiliated rabbis in Chicago, with Rabbi Levin serving as a full member of the national Agudah's top policy-making body, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations....
while Rabbi Keller is a member of the level below the Moetzes which on Agudah's Presidium (Nesius in Hebrew.)
Recognition by Agudath Israel
With the passage of time, and as a relatively significant number of alumni graduated from the Telshe yeshiva in Chicago, it added to the reputations of its founders in the world of (New York-based) Agudath Israel of AmericaAgudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America , is a Haredi Jewish communal organization in the United States loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel.-Functions:...
to which they belong. While Rabbi Avraham Chaim Levin was elevated to a seat on the exclusive American Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations....
("Council of Torah Sages") of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Keller became a member of its "Nesius" ("Presidium"), a lesser yet still prestigious appointment. Thus at Agudath Israel's premier event, its annual convention, Rabbi Keller has frequently been one of the official rabbis and rosh yeshivas designated to give official speeches or lecture, such as at the: 77th Agudah convention in 1999 (symposium, "Drawing Lines, Drawing Near -- Securing The Future Of American Jewry"); 80th Agudah convention in 2002 (plenary session, "What in the World is Going On? -- Searching for Meaning in the Maelstrom"); 83rd Agudah convention in 2005 ("Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
speakers");
Publications
The following is a short list of subjects and articles to which Rabbi Keller has addressed his critiques:- Criticism of Modern Orthodox JudaismModern Orthodox JudaismModern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
. - Criticising ChabadChabadChabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
Messianists. - Opposing female rabbis.
- Attacking the existence of a gay club at Yeshiva College.
- A Torah perspective attacking the decision in the Dover caseKitzmiller v. Dover Area School DistrictTammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al. was the first direct challenge brought in the United States federal courts testing a public school district policy that required the teaching of intelligent design...
on intelligent designIntelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
Rabbi Keller has also written a widely published obituary on Rabbi Raphael Baruch Sorotzkin, Telshe rosh yeshiva