Rabbi Yisrael Noah Weinberg ישראל נח וינברג | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | (1930-02-16)February 16, 1930 Lower East Side, New York City |
| Died | February 5, 2009(2009-02-05) (aged 78) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Buried | Har HaMenuchot 31°48′00″N35°11′00″E / 31.8°N 35.1833333°E /31.8; 35.1833333 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Denah Weinberg |
| Children | 8 sons,[1] includingHillel Weinberg, and 4 daughters |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Position | Rosh yeshiva |
| Yeshiva | Aish HaTorah |
| Ended | 2009 |
Yisrael Noah Weinberg (Hebrew:ישראל נח וינברג; February 16, 1930 – February 5, 2009) was anOrthodoxrabbi and the founder ofAish HaTorah.
Noah Weinberg was born on theLower East Side of New York City. His father, Yitzchak Mattisyahu Weinberg was aSlonimerHasid, and a grandson of the firstSlonimerRebbe, Avrohom Weinberg.[2][3] His mother, Hinda, was a direct descendant ofJacob ben Jacob Moses of Lissa. Weinberg studied atYeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin inBrooklyn and atYeshivas Ner Yisroel inBaltimore, where he received hissemikhah (rabbinic ordination). He completed his undergraduate studies atJohns Hopkins University and his post-graduate studies atLoyola Graduate School.[4]
In 1953, Weinberg traveled toIsrael to consult with theChazon Ish regarding the response needed to counter the threat of assimilation in the Jewish world. However, the Chazon Ish died while Weinberg was en route to Israel.
As part of his job working as a salesman for his brother's company, Weinberg traveled to many small cities in the United States. During these trips, he encountered Jews of all kinds who were distant from their heritage.[5]
In 1966, Weinberg decided to enter the field ofkiruv (Orthodox Judaism outreach), and he opened the first yeshiva in this style for Jewish men inJerusalem. The school was short-lived, as were several other attempts, before he co-founded Yeshivas Shma Yisrael (later renamedOhr Somayach) in 1970 withNota Schiller,Mendel Weinbach and Yaakov Rosenberg .
After a few years, Weinberg broke away from the partnership over a difference in educational philosophy. He believed that the times called for the call up of "kiruv soldiers"—people who would be given a few years of basic education training, and then sent out to give introductory classes to other young Jews at risk of assimilation and intermarriage. Weinberg establishedAish HaTorah with five students in a small apartment in Jerusalem'sOld City in 1974.[6][7] In addition to its Jerusalem headquarters, Weinberg helped establish an Aish HaTorah branch inSt. Louis in 1979. The organization later grew to 30 branches worldwide.
In 1985, Weinberg launched the Discovery Seminar,[7]: p.21 a multi-day seminar designed to introduce proofs of God's existence to audiences all over the world. The organization claims that the seminar has been presented to over 100,000 people worldwide.[8] That same year, Weinberg launched the Jerusalem Fellowships, which brought college age Jewish people to Israel.[citation needed]
In 2001, Weinberg founded theHasbara Fellowships program to bring university students to Israel for an intensive two-week Israel activism training course.[citation needed]
In recognition of Aish HaTorah, the Israeli government awarded Weinberg the last two building sites adjacent to theWestern Wall. In 1996, he dedicated his newly designed yeshiva as the central location for Aish HaTorah's manpower and leadership training programs.
Weinberg marriedDenah Goldman, and established their first home in theMea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1967, they moved into a new apartment in theKiryat Sanz neighborhood. His older brotherYaakov wasrosh yeshiva ofYeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore.[9] His nephew, son of his sister Chava Leah, wasShimshon Dovid Pincus.
Weinberg was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007. He died on February 5, 2009. He was survived by his wife Denah, twelve children and more than 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[10] Denah died on Sunday evening, 12 March 2023.[11]
Weinberg created new curricula to teach the fundamentals of Jewish belief and practice to Jews. These include:[12]
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