Marc D. Angel (born July 1945) is a Sephardic rabbi and author. He is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City, where he began working in 1969.[1][2]
Rabbi Marc D. Angel | |
|---|---|
 Rabbi Angel speaking | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | July 1945 (age 80) |
| Spouse | Gilda (m. 1967; died 2025) |
| Children | 3 including Hayyim Angel |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Rabbi and author |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Denomination | [[Sephardic]] |
| Jewish leader | |
| Synagogue | Congregation Shearith Israel |
| Semikhah | RIETS |
Biography
editBorn into Seattle's Sephardic Jewish community, his ancestors are Ottoman Sephardim from Turkey and Rhodes, and he grew up in a Ladino-speaking home.[1]
He received his B.A., M.S., Ph.D., Th.D. honoris causa, and semikhah (rabbinical ordination) from Yeshiva University; he also has an M.A. in English literature from the City College of New York. He has received the Bernard Revel Award in Religion and Religious Education.[3] He was president of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA),[4] and a member of the editorial board of its journal, Tradition.
In 2007, he established the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.[citation needed] He directs the Institute and edits its journal, Conversations, which appears three times per year.
A prolific author, he has written several books and articles that have taken issue with and challenged extreme Orthodox views and the Rabbinate.
Works
edit- A Sephardic Haggadah: Translation and Commentary (Hoboken, New Jersey, 1988)
- The Jews of Rhodes, The History of a Sephardic Community (New York, 1978)
- La America: The Sephardic Experience in the United States (Philadelphia, 1982)
- The Rhythms of Jewish Living: A Sephardic Approach (New York, 1986)
- The Orphaned Adult: Confronting the Death of a Parent (1987)
- Voices in Exile: A Study in Sephardic Intellectual History (1991)
- The Essential Pele Yoetz: an Encyclopedia of Ethical Jewish Living (1991)
- Loving Truth and Peace: The Grand Religious Worldview of Rabbi Benzion Uziel (1999)
- Remnant of Israel: A Portrait of America's First Jewish Congregation (2004)
- Losing the Rat Race, Winning at Life (2005)
- Choosing to be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion (2005)[5]
- Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi: Gentle Scholar and Courageous Thinker (2006)
- The Search Committee: A Novel (2008)
- "Conversion to Judaism: Halakha, Hashkafa, and Historic Challenge", Hakirah, vol. 8 (Brooklyn, 2008)
- Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism (2009)
- Maimonides: Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith and Ethics (2012)
- Reclaiming Orthodox Judaism, a collection of essays, published as issue 12 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals
- Angel for Shabbat, volumes 1 and 2, published by the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals (2010 and 2013)
Awards
edit- 1988: National Jewish Book Award in the Jewish Thought category for The Orphaned Adult: Confronting the Death of a Parent[6]
Family
editIn a 2009 interview he stated that he and his wife Gilda Angel[5] "have three children and six grandchildren".[1]He is the father of Rabbi Hayyim Angel. His wife Gilda passed away on June 3, 2025.[7]
Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals
editIn October 2007, Angel founded the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals is a New York-based non-profit organization committed to advancing a culturally diverse and intellectually rational Jewish Orthodoxy. The Institute disseminates its particular vision through the publication of articles, and books as well as the hosting and promotion of lectures.[8] Hayyim Angel, Angel's son, is National Scholar of the institute.
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 "A Strong Voice of the Sephardic Community". turkofamerica.com. 6 May 2017 [6 October 2009]. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ↑ "Marc D. Angel (Congregation Shearith Israel)".
- ↑ "Centennial Celebration with Angel". 5 February 2014.
- ↑ "Sex tapes rock the Orthodox". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- 1 2 Marc Angel (2005). Choosing to be Jewish: the Orthodox Road to Conversion. KTAV Publishing House. ISBN 978-0881-25890-5.
I thank my wife, Gilda, and our son, Rabbi Hayyim Angel
- ↑ "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ↑ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/new-york-ny/gilda-angel-12401823
- ↑ Lagnado, Caroline (3 March 2015). "For Jews, an odyssey out of the frying pan and into America's melting pot". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2020.