Esther Jungreis
Encyclopedia
Esther Jungreis is the founder of the international Hineni
movement in America. A Holocaust survivor, she has made it her life's mission to bring back Jews to Orthodox Judaism
.
, Hungary
, where her father was chief rabbi
of the Orthodox Jewish community. Her maiden name was Jungreis (she married a distant cousin Theodore Jungreis; the name Jungreis was common in Hungary
at the time with over 85 Orthodox rabbi
s having the surname). Rabbi Jungreis, the Rav of Szeged, was deported with other Jews from Szeged in a cattle car bound for Auschwitz. However a relative that worked for Rudolph Kastner’s office arranged that when the train from Szeged passed through Budapest the cattle car was opened and the entire Jungreis family went onto the so-called Kastner train
to Switzerland.
In 1947 they moved to Brooklyn
, New York
, where she reconnected with distant cousin Theodore Jungreis, a rabbi
. They married. She was called Rebbetzin
, a Yiddish term of respect and endearment for the wife of a rabbi and, increasingly, a term of respect for an outstanding Orthodox female teacher of Judaism.
Eventually, they settled in North Woodmere, New York
where Rabbi Jungreis led the Orthodox Congregation Ohr Torah. Together they raised four children. Rabbi Jungreis has died, but Rebbetzin Jungreis continues with her work. Now she lives in Lawrence, NY
.
Due to her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, she became "determined to devote her life to combating the spiritual holocaust that was occurring here in the United States." This led to the birth of the Hineni
Movement on November 18, 1973 in Madison Square Garden
's Felt Forum.
Her outspoken stance against interfaith marriages, equating them with the Nazi Holocaust, while drawing criticism, is statistically supported.http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=486f8ed7-e85e-4967-ae40-3912809ec843
Along with Paysach Krohn
, Jungreis has served as a guest speaker at the annual Shavuot
retreat hosted by Gateways
since 2005.
and Navy as well as for the Israel Defense Forces.
- acclaimed one of the ten best Jewish books of the year by B'nai B'rith
); The Committed Life: Principles of Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Harper Collins
and translated into Hebrew, Russian and Hungarian and in its eighth edition) and The Committed Marriage (Harper Collins). For over forty years, she has written a column for The Jewish Press
using the Torah as the source for solutions to everyday problems. Her latest book, published in 2006, is Life is a Test.
Among those that have recognized the Rebbetzin for her work has been "Hadassah, The Jewish War Veterans
, B’nai Brith. Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations, Knights of Pythias, and the Christian Amita Society. She has been the keynote speaker at the joint convention of Reform and Conservative Rabbis in Palm Springs, and has spoken for the Rabbinical Council of America, O.R.T., Hadassah, U.J.A., Israel Bonds, Jewish War Veterans, the 2004 Republican National Convention, the Shomrim Society of the Police Department, B’nai Brith, Young Israel, Mizrachi, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Orthodox Jewish Teachers Association. She has been accorded recognition by the State of Israel and invited to address members of the Israel Defense Forces and has received awards from every branch of the service. The Rebbetzin has also been named “Woman of the Year” by Hadassah, Jewish War Veterans, B’nai Brith, Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations, the Knights of Pythias, and the Christian Amita Society.
President George W. Bush
appointed Jungreis to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
Hineni
Hineni was, as a result of a speech given at the Madison Square Garden by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis on November 18, 1973, "one of the first Ba'al Teshuva movements...
movement in America. A Holocaust survivor, she has made it her life's mission to bring back Jews to Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
.
Biography
Jungreis spent her early childhood in SzegedSzeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, where her father was chief rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of the Orthodox Jewish community. Her maiden name was Jungreis (she married a distant cousin Theodore Jungreis; the name Jungreis was common in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
at the time with over 85 Orthodox 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...
s having the surname). Rabbi Jungreis, the Rav of Szeged, was deported with other Jews from Szeged in a cattle car bound for Auschwitz. However a relative that worked for Rudolph Kastner’s office arranged that when the train from Szeged passed through Budapest the cattle car was opened and the entire Jungreis family went onto the so-called Kastner train
Kastner train
The Kastner train was a trainload of almost 1,684 Jews who, on June 30, 1944, escaped from Nazi-controlled Hungary, eventually arrived in Switzerland, while some 450,000 members of the Hungarian Jewish community were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz....
to Switzerland.
In 1947 they moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she reconnected with distant cousin Theodore Jungreis, a 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...
. They married. She was called Rebbetzin
Rebbetzin
Rebbitzin or Rabbanit is the title used for the wife of a rabbi, typically from the Orthodox, or Haredi, and Hasidic Jewish groups...
, a Yiddish term of respect and endearment for the wife of a rabbi and, increasingly, a term of respect for an outstanding Orthodox female teacher of Judaism.
Eventually, they settled in North Woodmere, New York
North Woodmere, New York
North Woodmere is an unincorporated area section of Valley Stream, located in Nassau County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. North Woodmere is directly north of Woodmere, but separated from it by Mott's Creek. Access to Woodmere is available via Branch Boulevard and a footbridge over...
where Rabbi Jungreis led the Orthodox Congregation Ohr Torah. Together they raised four children. Rabbi Jungreis has died, but Rebbetzin Jungreis continues with her work. Now she lives in Lawrence, NY
Lawrence, Nassau County, New York
Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...
.
Due to her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, she became "determined to devote her life to combating the spiritual holocaust that was occurring here in the United States." This led to the birth of the Hineni
Hineni
Hineni was, as a result of a speech given at the Madison Square Garden by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis on November 18, 1973, "one of the first Ba'al Teshuva movements...
Movement on November 18, 1973 in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
's Felt Forum.
Her outspoken stance against interfaith marriages, equating them with the Nazi Holocaust, while drawing criticism, is statistically supported.http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=486f8ed7-e85e-4967-ae40-3912809ec843
Along with Paysach Krohn
Paysach Krohn
Paysach J. Krohn is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a noted author, mohel, and lecturer on topics related to ethics and spiritual growth.-Biography:...
, Jungreis has served as a guest speaker at the annual Shavuot
Shavuot
The festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
retreat hosted by Gateways
Gateways (organization)
Gateways is an organization whose self-declared mission is it to "raise Jewish consciousness and help stem the rising tide of Jewish assimilation among American Jews."-Origins:...
since 2005.
The Rebbetzin's Outreach Work
Hineni has since become a worldwide movement with centers all over the world. As a result, Rebbetzin Jungreis has spoken in locations such as the Hollywood Palladium, the Johannesburg Coliseum and Binyanei HaOuma in Jerusalem. She also speaks regularly for the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Navy as well as for the Israel Defense Forces.
Writings
Rebbetzin Jungreis has written several books: Jewish Soul on Fire (William Morrow & CompanyHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
- acclaimed one of the ten best Jewish books of the year by B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
); The Committed Life: Principles of Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Harper Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
and translated into Hebrew, Russian and Hungarian and in its eighth edition) and The Committed Marriage (Harper Collins). For over forty years, she has written a column for The Jewish Press
The Jewish Press
The Jewish Press is an American weekly newspaper, geared toward the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly." The newspaper has a politically conservative viewpoint and editorial policy....
using the Torah as the source for solutions to everyday problems. Her latest book, published in 2006, is Life is a Test.
Awards, Recognition
Among those that have recognized the Rebbetzin for her work has been "Hadassah, The Jewish War Veterans
Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America
The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America is an American Jewish veterans' organization, and the oldest veterans group in the United States. It has an estimated 37,000 members.-History and purpose:The Jewish War Veterans were established in 1896...
, B’nai Brith. Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations, Knights of Pythias, and the Christian Amita Society. She has been the keynote speaker at the joint convention of Reform and Conservative Rabbis in Palm Springs, and has spoken for the Rabbinical Council of America, O.R.T., Hadassah, U.J.A., Israel Bonds, Jewish War Veterans, the 2004 Republican National Convention, the Shomrim Society of the Police Department, B’nai Brith, Young Israel, Mizrachi, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Orthodox Jewish Teachers Association. She has been accorded recognition by the State of Israel and invited to address members of the Israel Defense Forces and has received awards from every branch of the service. The Rebbetzin has also been named “Woman of the Year” by Hadassah, Jewish War Veterans, B’nai Brith, Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations, the Knights of Pythias, and the Christian Amita Society.
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
appointed Jungreis to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.