Upstate NY native to lead Orthodox Union
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- May
- 6
A 42-year-old rabbi who grew up on a farm in upstate Lyndonville, N.Y., and went on to lead a large and influential Beverly Hills synagogue has been named the next boss of the OU—the Orthodox Union.
Rabbi Steven Weil will take over July 1, 2009, as executive vice president of the OU, which represents Orthodox congregations across North America.
Current Exec VP Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb will at that time become Exec VP emeritus.
Weil grew up on a cattle farm in upstate NY in the only Jewish home within a 40-mile radius. He grew up attending Hebrew school in Buffalo, an hour from his home. At 14, he left for a yeshiva in New York City.
For eight years, Weil has led Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, the largest Orthodox congregation in the U.S. outside of New York (with about 900 families).
The OU represents the world of modern Orthodoxy, which has become increasingly conservative in recent years.
I came across an interesting column Weil co-authored in 2003, which argued that Jews need to work with conservative evangelical Christians who support Israel.
This has been a tough year for Weil’s synagogue. A congregant turned out to be a government informant in a tax-fraud case involving an Hasidic rabbi and others.
On Beth Jacob’s website, Weil says he’s a fan of country music. He says he’d like to retire in either Israel—or Nashville.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 2:09 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
