Rabbi Moshe Sherer (June 18, 1921 – May 17, 1998) was co-Chairman of the Agudath Israel World Organization from 1980,[1] and the Chairman of Agudath Israel of America from the 1960s, until his death in 1998.[2]
Career
edit
Sherer "joined Agudath Israel as its executive vice president in 1941, when it was a small group with few employees,"[1] and added the title of president in 1963. He oversaw the tilt whereby "Within Orthodoxy, there's a sense of being pulled to the right."[3]
Advocacy
editHe was an active presence in the United States capitol for better than half-a-century, advocating the interests and articulating the views of Orthodox Jewry.[4][5] In 1988 he created a full-time Orthodox Jewish government affairs office in Washington, D.C.[1][6] His role has been described as shtadlan (government intercessor);[7] he testified before Congress and often led groups of intercessors to Washington, to meet with elected officials.[8]
Throughout his career rabbi Sherer strongly supported the State of Israel and advocated on its behalf. In 1975, after the infamous “Zionism is Racism” United Nations resolution, Sherer, then-president of Agudath Israel of America, wrote that “Though the resolution was supposedly aimed only at secular ‘Zionism’… the slander is an attack on the entire Jewish people.” Even if the hatred was aimed only at certain Jews, he continued, “we (Agudath Israel adherents) would feel precisely the same responsibility to come to the defense of our brethren. While we may have our own quarrel with secular Zionism, when Jews are libeled, their affiliation does not matter; our love for our brothers and sisters draws us to their side.” But what is more, he stressed, “the U. N. resolution is aimed at all Jews, for it assails the historical Jewish right to Eretz Yisrael. The Torah bestowed that right, and any attack on it is an attack on Judaism and the Jewish people.”
In 1997 he also coordinated advertising[9] both in Israel and within the United States "to explain what Orthodox Judaism was about" and strengthen "Orthodoxy's increasingly influential right wing."[10] That same year Sherer renewed advocacy regarding "Who is a Jew" (Mee Hu Yehudi)[11] and retaining a "One People, One Conversion" standard.[12]
Eulogies
editAmong those public official who eulogized the late Aguda leader were:[7]
- Governor George Pataki
- Mayor Rudy Giuliani
- Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
At Aguda's dinner that evening, Vice-President Al Gore said, just hours after the Petira: "Many in the Orthodox community say, 'How far we have come.' They should say, 'How far he brought us!'"[7]
Biography
editMatzav.com headlined "10 years in the making"[13] for the 2009-published biography titled Rabbi Sherer: The Paramount Torah Spokesman of Our Era (Yonoson Rosenblum).[14] The review by Yeshiva World[15] includes Sherer saying that his 1938 encounter with Elchonon Wasserman was "a turning point in my life."
Early life
editSherer was born in Brooklyn on June 8, 1921. His early education was at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, followed by studying at Baltimore, Maryland-based Yeshivas Ner Yisroel.[1] The New York Times wrote that "He told associates that his main mentor was the late Rabbi Aharon Kotler."
Family
editHis brother Harry was a prominent Reform rabbi who converted Sammy Davis Jr. to Judaism.[16] Their mother's name was Basya.[17]
Rabbi Moshe Sherer died of leukemia[4] on Sunday afternoon, May 17, 1998, survived by his wife,[18] two married daughters, son Rabbi Shimshon Sherer, Daughter Elky Goldschmidt "and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Gustav Niebuhr (May 19, 1998). "Rabbi Moshe Sherer, 76, Who Contributed to Rise of Orthodoxy's Right Wing in U.S." The New York Times.
- ^ Daring to Dream. New York, NY: Agudath Israel of America. May 2003. pp. 266–267.
- ^ Gustav Niebuhr (May 1, 1997). "A Shift to Rigorous Tradition Gains Influence in Judaism". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Rabbi Moshe Sherer". Britannica.com.
- ^ "aided the right wing of Orthodox Judaism by helping build the Agudath Israel of America organization from a small group into an influential force."
- ^ National Council of Young Israel was also an early mover in this area.
- ^ a b c Jonathan Rosenblum (May 22, 1998). "A 'Shtadlan' for our times". Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Agudath Israel of America National Board of Trustees Leadership Mission to Washington, DC". Hamodia. February 27, 2016.
- ^ under the name Am Echad: Suzanne Allender (December 31, 1997). "Orthodox ad campaign nixes pluralism, promotes education". JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency).
Am Echad is an independent organization and reflects the views of many Orthodox factions, not just Agudah's, Shafran said.
- ^ Gustav Niebuhr (December 7, 1997). "Orthodox Jewish Group Plans a $2 Million Advertising Drive". The New York Times.
- ^ "U.S. Jews Lobby Netanyahu as Rift Looms Over Conversions". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 1997.
Under strict Jewish law, only the children of Jewish mothers are considered Jewish. Others must undergo conversion.
- ^ Rebecca Trounson (January 13, 1998). "Israel Is Urged to Keep Orthodox Control". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Dovid Bernstein (November 24, 2009). "10 Years in the Making: "Rabbi Sherer"".
- ^ Yonoson Rosenblum (2009). Rabbi Sherer: The Paramount Torah Spokesman of Our Era. Artscroll. ISBN 978-1-4226-09446.
- ^ Chaskel Bennett (November 25, 2009). "A Document for History: Rabbi Sherer, The Paramount Torah Spokesman Of Our Era". Yeshiva World.
- ^ "Rabbi Harry Sherer Obituary (1915 - 2017) Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com.
- ^ Rabbi Yechiel Sperio (2004). Touched by a Story(2). p. 2. ISBN 1-57819-996-4.
- ^ died 2017: Reuvain Borchardt (April 27, 2017). "Mrs. Devorah Sherer, A"H, Widow of Rabbi Moshe, Z"l". Hamodia.