Shraga Feivel Zimmerman

Shraga Feivel Halevy Zimmerman[1] is the av beit din of the Federation of Synagogues in London. He accepted the position on the 30th of June 2019,[2] but took office in January 2020. Rabbi Zimmerman succeeded Dayan Lichtenstein as head of the organisation's religious court.[3] He took up this appointment following 11 and-a-half years serving as rabbi and av beit din of the Jewish community in Gateshead, United Kingdom,[1] where he succeeded Bezalel Rakow, who died in 2003. Prior to that, he served as rabbi to Khal Adath Jeshurun, the Haredi German Ashkenazic community in Monsey, New York.[4]

Overview

Zimmerman's induction in Gateshead[5] was attended by several Haredi rabbis in England, including Rabbi Ephraim Padwa of UOHC and Menachem Mendel Schneebalg of Manchester's Machzikei Hadath community. One of the changes he made was to allow the opening of the community's "first kosher restaurant" with the proviso that "to avoid unsupervised interaction between the sexes" there are separate hours for men and women.[1]

In January 2020 he left his Gateshead position, "taking up his appointment as av beis din of the Federation."[6]

Early life

The New Jersey-born Zimmerman[1] grew up in Borough Park, Brooklyn. He is an alumnus of the Mirrer yeshiva in Flatbush and a close disciple of Rabbis Shmuel Berenbaum and Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik. Prior to that, he studied at Beer Shmuel in Borough Park, a yeshiva that was founded by his grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Yonah Tzvi Horowitz,[7] rabbi of Unsdorf and Frankfurt and in Letchworth during the war years, who was also one of the rabbis of K'hal Adath Jeshurun in Frankfurt, Germany after Joseph Breuer before World War II.[8] That grandfather had named the yeshiva after an acestor known as the Be'er Shmuel,[9] Rav Shmuel Rosenberg of Unsdorf (1842-1919).

Shailatext project

When Zimmerman arrived 2020 to his new post in London, the Federation was in the process of starting what they called their Shailatext project, a people-powered technology based process for answering Halachic questions, especially for "those who have not yet found a rabbi."[8] An interviewer noted in mid-2019 that "Zimmerman estimates that he has answered 200,000 sh’eilos from all over the United Kingdom while in Gateshead — in person, over the phone, and by email and text."[10][11][12]

Personal

He is married to Rebbetzin Chaya Reena Zimmerman.[8]

References
  1. Liphshiz, Cnaan (3 October 2017). "Why Orthodox Jews are flocking to this gritty English town". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  2. "Federation UK on Twitter: "Delighted to announce the appointment of Rav Shraga Feivel Zimmerman as Rov & Av Beis Din #FederationRov. At a l'chaim for our Dayonim, Rabbonim & Trustees, he said: "B"sd I look forward to building upon the achievements of my predecessors ... to continue serving klal Yisroel."". Twitter.com. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  3. Doreen Wachmann (19 June 2019). "Gateshead Rav in Talks to Head Federation of Synagogues". The Jewish Press.
  4. "Gateshead Rav Named Head of Federation of Synagogues". The Jewish Press. 4 July 2019.
  6. "Group Splinters Off From London Board for Shechita". The Jewish Press. 8 January 2020.
  7. Yitzchok Frankfurter (14 February 2018). "Drawing the Line". Ami Magazine. No. 355. pp. 80–82.
  8. Yonoson Rosenblum (10 July 2019). "Next Stop, London". Mishpacha.
  9. "Novellae of the Be'er Shmuel". Virtual Judaica. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  10. 50/day
  11. "Ask the Federation - new ShailaText service".
  12. "Federation Beis Din's Shailatext service". Yalla Magazine. 25 February 2020.

Sources
Preceded by
Rabbi Bezalel Rakow		 ABD Gateshead
2008-2020		 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Rabbi Yaakov Lichtenstein		 ABD Federation of Synagogues
2020-		 Succeeded by
incumbent


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