Shlomo Carlebach (rabbi)
Encyclopedia
Shlomo Carlebach (b. August 17, 1925 in Hamburg
, Germany
) -- not to be confused with his cousin Shlomo Carlebach, also a rabbi and a well-known Jewish composer and musician-- is a Haredi
rabbi
and scholar who was chosen to be the mashgiach ruchani
("spiritual advisor" [of students]) of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
located in Brooklyn
, in New York City
after the departure of the previous mashgiach ruchani Rabbi Avigdor Miller
. Rabbi Carlebach served as mashgiach ruchani of the yeshiva
and Kollel Gur Aryeh
(its post-graduate division) from 1966 to 1978, when he was succeeded by Rabbi Shimon Groner, one of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
's trusted disciples.
, director of the Talmud Torah
school at Hamburg (1925–1927), chief rabbi
of Altona
(1927–36) and the last chief rabbi of Hamburg (1936–1941). Joseph Carlebach is still held in great honour by the city of Hamburg and its remaining Jewish community. Part of the university campus in Hamburg was named as the Joseph-Carlebach-Platz since 1990. Upon his 120th birthday in 2003, a Joseph-Carlebach-Preis award was established for Jewish studies
, given every two years, by the State University of Hamburg.
near Riga
in Latvia
. Shlomo's father Rabbi Joseph, his mother Charlotte and his sisters Ruth, Noemi and Sara were murdered in a forest near Riga, Latvia in 1942. Shlomo, being the youngest son, survived the Holocaust
suffering four years of internment in nine different concentration camps. His older four sisters and brother were sent to England (his sister Miriam immigrated to Israel at the same time) by their parents and survived the Holocaust and the war.
Rabbi Carlebach talked with the authors of the book Die Carlebachs, eine Rabbinerfamilie aus Deutschland ("The Carlebachs, a Family of Rabbis from Germany", Ephraim-Carlebach-Stiftung[-Foundation] Edit: Dölling & Galitz. Hamburg 1995 ISBN 3-926174-99-4, in German) about his father and the time in the concentration camps. (Some details are in the German Wiki Konzentrationslager Jungfernhof.) Rabbi Carlebach has also written about this period in a biography of his father, Ish Yehudi – The Life and Legacy of a Torah Great. Joseph Tzvi Carlebach (Shearith Joseph Publications, New York 2008)
where he became one of the closest disciples of its rosh yeshiva
Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
. So much so, that Rabbi Carlebach was selected to write the brief welcoming introductions in Rabbi Hutner's works, the Pachad Yitzchok where he would sign himself as שלמה בן הרב ר' יוסף צבי הי"ד קרליבך : "Shlomo the son of Rabbi Yosef Tzvi (may God avenge his blood) Carlebach"
Rabbi Carlebach was serving as a high school teacher of Torah studies
and Talmud
in the Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, when Rabbi Hutner called on him to become the new mashgiach ruchani
of the yeshiva following the departure and long tenure of Rabbi Avigdor Miller
in that position.
For most of his tenure Rabbi Carlebach was an extremely successful mashgiach ruchani and began to develop a series of lectures that he eventually published, first in pamphlet form and later in a full series that he would call Maskil Lishlomo.
and Kollel Gur Aryeh
) to his disciples who were to remain behind. The designated new rosh yeshiva
("dean") was to be Rabbi Aaron Schechter
and it was assumed that Rabbi Carlebach would continue as the official mashgiach ruchani. However, about three years prior to Rabbi Hutner's death in 1980 a serious dispute arose between Rabbi Carlebach and Rabbi Hutner and his disciples. The end of this internal struggle resulted in Rabbi Carlebach being denied access to the yeshiva. However he refused to relinquish the title of mashgiach ruchani. Rabbi Carlebach attempted to bring the termination of his employment and the manner in which it was done to adjudication with various batei din
("Jewish religious courts") but Rabbi Hutner maintainedthat he was not subject to such proceedings in this instance. However Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
disagreed, and ruled that the Yeshiva must continue to pay Rabbi Carlebach a salary until they come to a Din Torah.
, which was to become the five volumed Maskil Lishlomo on the Humash
(Pentateuch) that incorporated much of Rabbi Hutner's thought system in the ten volume Pachad Yitzchok. In recent years, Rabbi Carlebach has dedicated much of his time to writing a biography of his father, Ish Yehudi – The Life and Legacy of a Torah Great. Joseph Tzvi Carlebach (Shearith Joseph Publications, New York 2008). He is also working on translating his father's writings into English.
. His sister Professor Dr. Miriam Gillis-Carlebach heads the Joseph Carlebach Institute of the Bar-Ilan-University, Ramat Gan (Israel).
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) -- not to be confused with his cousin Shlomo Carlebach, also a rabbi and a well-known Jewish composer and musician-- is a Haredi
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...
and scholar who was chosen to be the mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
("spiritual advisor" [of students]) of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
located in 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...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after the departure of the previous mashgiach ruchani Rabbi Avigdor Miller
Avigdor Miller
Rabbi Avigdor Miller was a Haredi rabbi, author and lecturer in the United States. He served simultaneously as a communal rabbi and as the mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and as a teacher in Beis Yaakov for many years.-Biography:Rabbi Miller was born in 1908 in Baltimore...
. Rabbi Carlebach served as mashgiach ruchani of the 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...
and Kollel Gur Aryeh
Kollel Gur Aryeh
Kollel Gur Aryeh is a kollel for young married Orthodox men located in Brooklyn, New York. It was established in 1956 by Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner as the post-graduate division of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. A number of well-known Haredi scholars and rosh yeshivas are among its alumni.The kollel is...
(its post-graduate division) from 1966 to 1978, when he was succeeded by Rabbi Shimon Groner, one of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox rabbi and American rosh yeshiva.-Early years:Yitchok Hutner was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish roots. As a child he received private instruction in Torah and Talmud...
's trusted disciples.
Family history
His father was Rabbi Dr. Joseph CarlebachJoseph Carlebach
Dr. Joseph Hirsch Carlebach was an Orthodox rabbi and Jewish-German scholar and natural scientist ....
, director of the Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of public primary school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew, the Scriptures , and the Talmud...
school at Hamburg (1925–1927), 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 Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
(1927–36) and the last chief rabbi of Hamburg (1936–1941). Joseph Carlebach is still held in great honour by the city of Hamburg and its remaining Jewish community. Part of the university campus in Hamburg was named as the Joseph-Carlebach-Platz since 1990. Upon his 120th birthday in 2003, a Joseph-Carlebach-Preis award was established for Jewish studies
Jewish studies
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...
, given every two years, by the State University of Hamburg.
The Holocaust
The Jewish community and its leading rabbi were deported 1941 from Hamburg to the Jungfernhof concentration campJungfernhof concentration camp
The Jungfernhof concentration camp was an improvised concentration camp in Latvia, at the Mazjumprava Manor, near the Šķirotava Railway Station about three or four kilometers from Riga...
near Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. Shlomo's father Rabbi Joseph, his mother Charlotte and his sisters Ruth, Noemi and Sara were murdered in a forest near Riga, Latvia in 1942. Shlomo, being the youngest son, survived the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
suffering four years of internment in nine different concentration camps. His older four sisters and brother were sent to England (his sister Miriam immigrated to Israel at the same time) by their parents and survived the Holocaust and the war.
Rabbi Carlebach talked with the authors of the book Die Carlebachs, eine Rabbinerfamilie aus Deutschland ("The Carlebachs, a Family of Rabbis from Germany", Ephraim-Carlebach-Stiftung[-Foundation] Edit: Dölling & Galitz. Hamburg 1995 ISBN 3-926174-99-4, in German) about his father and the time in the concentration camps. (Some details are in the German Wiki Konzentrationslager Jungfernhof.) Rabbi Carlebach has also written about this period in a biography of his father, Ish Yehudi – The Life and Legacy of a Torah Great. Joseph Tzvi Carlebach (Shearith Joseph Publications, New York 2008)
Yeshiva in America
After the war Rabbi Carlebach was accepted as a student at the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim BerlinYeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
where he became one of the closest disciples of its 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...
Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox rabbi and American rosh yeshiva.-Early years:Yitchok Hutner was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish roots. As a child he received private instruction in Torah and Talmud...
. So much so, that Rabbi Carlebach was selected to write the brief welcoming introductions in Rabbi Hutner's works, the Pachad Yitzchok where he would sign himself as שלמה בן הרב ר' יוסף צבי הי"ד קרליבך : "Shlomo the son of Rabbi Yosef Tzvi (may God avenge his blood) Carlebach"
Rabbi Carlebach was serving as a high school teacher of Torah studies
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
and 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....
in the Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, when Rabbi Hutner called on him to become the new mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
of the yeshiva following the departure and long tenure of Rabbi Avigdor Miller
Avigdor Miller
Rabbi Avigdor Miller was a Haredi rabbi, author and lecturer in the United States. He served simultaneously as a communal rabbi and as the mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and as a teacher in Beis Yaakov for many years.-Biography:Rabbi Miller was born in 1908 in Baltimore...
in that position.
For most of his tenure Rabbi Carlebach was an extremely successful mashgiach ruchani and began to develop a series of lectures that he eventually published, first in pamphlet form and later in a full series that he would call Maskil Lishlomo.
Last years at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Rabbi Hutner had always wanted to move to Israel to establish a new yeshiva and, because he had only one daughter, Rebbetzin Bruria David who had no children of her own who would be going with her father, Rabbi Hutner planned to leave the yeshiva he headed in Brooklyn (Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim BerlinYeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
and Kollel Gur Aryeh
Kollel Gur Aryeh
Kollel Gur Aryeh is a kollel for young married Orthodox men located in Brooklyn, New York. It was established in 1956 by Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner as the post-graduate division of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. A number of well-known Haredi scholars and rosh yeshivas are among its alumni.The kollel is...
) to his disciples who were to remain behind. The designated new 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") was to be Rabbi Aaron Schechter
Aaron Schechter
Aaron Moshe Schechter is the rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and its post-graduate Talmudical division Kollel Gur Aryeh as well as of all the branches of the yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City that includes an elementary school and a high school for young Jewish boys, teenagers,...
and it was assumed that Rabbi Carlebach would continue as the official mashgiach ruchani. However, about three years prior to Rabbi Hutner's death in 1980 a serious dispute arose between Rabbi Carlebach and Rabbi Hutner and his disciples. The end of this internal struggle resulted in Rabbi Carlebach being denied access to the yeshiva. However he refused to relinquish the title of mashgiach ruchani. Rabbi Carlebach attempted to bring the termination of his employment and the manner in which it was done to adjudication with various batei din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
("Jewish religious courts") but Rabbi Hutner maintainedthat he was not subject to such proceedings in this instance. However Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...
disagreed, and ruled that the Yeshiva must continue to pay Rabbi Carlebach a salary until they come to a Din Torah.
Author and lecturer
Following his departure from his former yeshiva, Rabbi Carlebach set about lecturing at various Beis Yaakov schools and seminaries for young women. His eloquent speaking style won him a wide audience and he began to record and sell recorded tapes of his lectures. However, he began to pour the bulk of his energies into writing his life's work in HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, which was to become the five volumed Maskil Lishlomo on the Humash
Humash
The Hebrew term Chumash is one of the Hebrew names for the Five Books of Moses, also known by the Latinised Greek term Pentateuch or as one of the uses of the Hebrew term Torah, "Law." The word comes from the Hebrew word for five, ḥamesh...
(Pentateuch) that incorporated much of Rabbi Hutner's thought system in the ten volume Pachad Yitzchok. In recent years, Rabbi Carlebach has dedicated much of his time to writing a biography of his father, Ish Yehudi – The Life and Legacy of a Torah Great. Joseph Tzvi Carlebach (Shearith Joseph Publications, New York 2008). He is also working on translating his father's writings into English.
Family
A number of Rabbi Carlebach's children are Orthodox rabbis. His eldest daughter is Professor Elisheva Carlebach who is the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish history, culture and society at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. His sister Professor Dr. Miriam Gillis-Carlebach heads the Joseph Carlebach Institute of the Bar-Ilan-University, Ramat Gan (Israel).