Marvin Hier
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Marvin Hier is the dean
and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
, its Museum of Tolerance and of Moriah, the Center's film division.
Hier's parents came from Poland
; his father worked as a lamp polisher after arriving in New York in 1917. In the 1960s, Hier served as assistant rabbi and, in 1964, became rabbi of Congregation Schara Tzedeck
in Vancouver
. In 1977, following a visit to Holocaust sites in Europe, Rabbi Hier came to Los Angeles
to create the Simon Wiesenthal
Center. Under his leadership, the Center has become one of the foremost Jewish human rights
agencies in the world, with a constituency of more than 400,000 families. The Center maintains offices throughout the United States
, and in Canada
, Europe
, Israel
and Argentina
.
He is the recipient of two Academy Awards
- in 1997, as co-producer of "The Long Way Home", which offers new insights into the critical post WWII period between 1945 and 1948 and the suffering of the tens of thousands of refugees who survived the Holocaust, and in 1981 as co-producer and co-writer for "Genocide
", a documentary on the Holocaust.
In 1990, he wrote and co-produced the award-winning "Echoes That Remain", a documentary on pre-world War II
European Jewish life, and in 1994, Hier produced and co-wrote, "Liberation", the first production of Moriah Films. Under Rabbi Hier's direction, the Wiesenthal Center has served as consultant to Steven Spielberg's epic Schindler's List, and ABC Television's miniseries adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel, War and Remembrance. He is the recipient of an honorary degree and, in 1993 was made a Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite
by French
President François Mitterrand
.
Newsweek Magazine describes Rabbi Hier as the following, "Hier is one phone call away from almost every world leader, journalist and Hollywood studio head. He is the dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
, the Museum of Tolerance
and Moriah Films." -Newsweek
2007
Hier founded the school YULA
and was the dean of the school until the 2006-2007 school year.
President George W. Bush
appointed Hier 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.
In 2007 and 2008 Rabbi Marvin Hier was named the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine.
In 2009, he criticized Vatican cardinal Renato Martino over his comment that Gaza
was a big concentration camp. He later criticized the lifting of the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the Society of Saint Pius X.
A $100 million Museum of Tolerance and Human Dignity, a project of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles run by Rabbi Marvin Hier, is set to be built in Jerusalem, Israel.
Marvin Hier currently resides in Los Angeles. He has 2 sons and 8 grandchildren.
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
, its Museum of Tolerance and of Moriah, the Center's film division.
Hier's parents came from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
; his father worked as a lamp polisher after arriving in New York in 1917. In the 1960s, Hier served as assistant rabbi and, in 1964, became rabbi of Congregation Schara Tzedeck
Congregation Schara Tzedeck
Congregation Schara Tzedeck is an Orthodox synagogue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest synagogue and the largest Orthodox synagogue in the city...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. In 1977, following a visit to Holocaust sites in Europe, Rabbi Hier came to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to create the Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
Center. Under his leadership, the Center has become one of the foremost Jewish human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
agencies in the world, with a constituency of more than 400,000 families. The Center maintains offices throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
He is the recipient of two Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
- in 1997, as co-producer of "The Long Way Home", which offers new insights into the critical post WWII period between 1945 and 1948 and the suffering of the tens of thousands of refugees who survived the Holocaust, and in 1981 as co-producer and co-writer for "Genocide
Genocide (film)
Genocide is a 1982 documentary by Arnold Schwartzman concerning the Holocaust. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
", a documentary on the Holocaust.
In 1990, he wrote and co-produced the award-winning "Echoes That Remain", a documentary on pre-world War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
European Jewish life, and in 1994, Hier produced and co-wrote, "Liberation", the first production of Moriah Films. Under Rabbi Hier's direction, the Wiesenthal Center has served as consultant to Steven Spielberg's epic Schindler's List, and ABC Television's miniseries adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel, War and Remembrance. He is the recipient of an honorary degree and, in 1993 was made a Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
.
Newsweek Magazine describes Rabbi Hier as the following, "Hier is one phone call away from almost every world leader, journalist and Hollywood studio head. He is the dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
, the Museum of Tolerance
Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance , a multimedia museum in Los Angeles, California, USA, with an associated museum and professional development multi-media training facility in New York City, is designed to examine racism and prejudice in the United States and the world with a strong focus on the history of...
and Moriah Films." -Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
2007
Hier founded the school YULA
YULA
Yeshiva University of Los Angeles is a private Orthodox Jewish high school in Los Angeles, California, not affiliated with Yeshiva University in New York City...
and was the dean of the school until the 2006-2007 school year.
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 Hier 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.
In 2007 and 2008 Rabbi Marvin Hier was named the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine.
In 2009, he criticized Vatican cardinal Renato Martino over his comment that Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
was a big concentration camp. He later criticized the lifting of the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the Society of Saint Pius X.
A $100 million Museum of Tolerance and Human Dignity, a project of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles run by Rabbi Marvin Hier, is set to be built in Jerusalem, Israel.
Marvin Hier currently resides in Los Angeles. He has 2 sons and 8 grandchildren.
External links
- Hier's entry with the Simon Wiesenthal Center
- In Hitler's Shadow by Nick Taylor, excerpt from chapter 4
- Newsweek Magazine Ranks Hier Top Rabbi In America