Shmuly Yanklowitz facts for kids
Shmuly Yanklowitz (born 1981) is an Orthodox rabbi. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek and The Daily Beast listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America.
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Educational and professional background
Yanklowitz was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, received a second rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, and a third rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo of Jerusalem. He earned a master's degree at Harvard University in Leadership and Psychology and a second master's degree in Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University. Yanklowitz earned a Doctorate from Columbia University in Epistemology and Moral Development and has taught seminars at UCLA Law School and Barnard College.
Yanklowitz worked in corporate and non-profit consulting and was the Director of Panim JAM in Washington D.C., training others in leadership and advocacy. While in rabbinical school, Yanklowitz served at four different Orthodox congregations. Following his ordination, Yanklowitz served as Senior Jewish Educator and Director of Jewish Life at UCLA Hillel from 2010 to 2012. Yanklowitz has served as a delegate to the World Economic Forum. From August 2012 to May 2013, Yanklowitz served as the Senior Rabbi of Kehilath Israel Synagogue in Overland Park, Kansas. In July 2013, he became Executive Director, then later President and Dean, of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix, Arizona . Yanklowitz expanded VBM from local to national including setting up a new hub in Denver, Colorado.
Activism
Yanklowitz is the founder of multiple nonprofit organizations that engage in activism:
- He founded Uri L'Tzedek, an Orthodox social justice organization. In May 2009, Yanklowitz and the Uri L'Tzedek team launched the Tav HaYosher, an ethical seal for kosher restaurants which has certified hundreds of restaurants around North America. Yanklowitz has promoted deeper Orthodox commitment to universalistic causes and involvement in service-learning missions.
- He founded SHAMAYIM: Jewish Animal Welfare (previously known as The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute), an animal welfare spiritual activist center.
- He founded YATOM: The Jewish Foster & Adoption Network.
- He founded Torat Chayim, a "progressive-minded" Orthodox rabbinic association.
- In 2012, Yanklowitz co-founded "Jews for Human Rights in Syria" and has worked closely with Syrian refugees including hosting new refugee families annually at his home for Thanksgiving.
- Yanklowitz founded and leads the Jewish social justice group Arizona Jews for Justice.
Yanklowitz is a kidney donor.
Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton appointed Yanklowitz to be a commissioner on the Phoenix Human Relations Commission. Yanklowitz has organized the Jewish community for the abolition of the death penalty, and he has joined up with Evangelicals and Baptists to collaborate on eradicating the death penalty. Yanklowitz is a leading advocate for increased Jewish-Muslim dialogue. Yanklowitz's organization YATOM provides "educational programs and provides small grants" to families in the adoption/fostering process. Yanklowitz engages in outreach efforts to the homeless and advocates for their defense from harassment. Yanklowitz and the Arizona Jews for Justice team launched a mobile cooling van, with the support of the City of Phoenix, to give relief to the homeless during extreme heat. Yanklowitz and the Arizona Jews for Justice team added the "Let's be Better Humans" humanitarian bus to their outreach approach. Yanklowitz has worked to support people recovering from addiction.
Yanklowitz has been an advocate for racial justice including calling for police reform, prison reform, and slave reparations. Yanklowitz has consistently spoken out against any Jewish political alignment with white supremacy. Yanklowitz marched with other civil rights leaders calling to "raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour." Defending racial justice, Yanklowitz has called for DC statehood. Yanklowitz advocates for environmental justice, and in 2023 he co-led a trip for philanthropists from around the country to see firsthand how climate change was affecting refugees and homeless people. Yanklowitz speaks out against all forms of antisemitism. Yanklowitz has encouraged Jewish institutions to invest heavily in security due to the rise of antisemitic incidents. Yanklowitz has brought awareness to the rising hate on social media platforms. Yanklowitz has advocated for Israel's right of defense and has demanded the release of Israeli hostages. He has been an advocate for women's rights. He argued that overturning Roe v Wade is an attack on freedom of religion. Yanklowitz has been an advocate for the free press and has campaigned for Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist incarcerated in Russia.
Asylum seekers and refugee relief
Yanklowitz has advocated for refugees and asylum seekers at the Southern Border of the United States calling the need to assist asylum seekers a "spiritual revolution"; Yanklowitz is critical of the mistreatment of asylum seekers. Through Uri L'Tzedek and Arizona Jews for Justice, Yanklowitz and partners have raised awareness on the issue and have led campaigns to collect supplies for asylum seekers released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yanklowitz launched The Mask Project, which employs immigrant mothers to make masks for populations such as the Navajo Nation and the homeless.
Yanklowitz has led initiatives to support Afghan refugees.
Documentary
A film crew followed Yanklowitz for over a year to produce a PBS documentary named The Calling, a series that follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews as they train to become professional clergy. The program aired in the United States in December 2010.
Yanklowitz was featured in the 2019 documentary A Prayer for Compassion.
Jewish veganism
Yanklowitz is vegan. Under Yanklowitz's direction, the Shamayim: Jewish Animal Welfare has led the Synagogue Vegan Challenge since the Summer of 2017.
Yanklowitz has written extensively on questions of Jewish veganism and vegetarianism. He has argued that Jewish animal ethics can encompass both speciest frameworks and more egalitarian frameworks. Yanklowitz has opposed the shackle-and-hoist method of slaughter.
Written works
In 2022, Yanklowitz was a finalist for a book award with Indies Books, and he won a Silver medal book award in 2023, and in 2015 was also a finalist for a book award with the Jewish Book Council.
Yanklowitz's writing has been described as challenging Jews to seek social justice. Regarding Jewish Ethics & Social Justice, Peter L. Rothholz wrote that "in language that is at once passionate and direct, the author tackles a number of delicate subjects head on and makes practical suggestions for dealing with them." Regarding Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary, David Ellenson wrote that Yanklowitz "inspires" and "challenges his readers... to improve the world." In its review of the Book of Jonah: A Social Justice Commentary, the Jerusalem Post noted that the book was "refreshing" and "worth your investment of time and effort to understand the Book of Jonah through the lens of social justice." Yanklowitz's commentary on the Book of Proverbs received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Personal life
Yanklowitz is married, has four biological children, has fostered children, and lives in Scottsdale. Yanklowitz himself underwent an Orthodox conversion to Judaism, as he is the son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother. He is an advocate for greater inclusion of Jewish converts and for the inclusion of interfaith families.
Recognition
In 2022, Yanklowitz was recognized as one of the top faith leaders to watch by the American Center for Progress. In addition,The Forward named Yanklowitz one of the 50 most influential Jews of 2016 and also one of the most inspiring rabbis in America. In 2022, Yanklowitz was honored by The Leonard I. Beerman Foundation For Peace and Justice, alongside Dolores Huerta. In 2020, Yanklowitz was named a "Hero of Dialogue" by the international group KAICIID. Yanklowitz spoke at the White House Passover seder and has been a regular at the White House Chanukah events.
