Religionשמואל אוירבך

Shmuel Auerbach

Shmuel Auerbach was a Haredi rabbi in Jerusalem who headed the Ma'alot HaTorah yeshiva and led the Jerusalem Faction of the non-Hasidic Haredi community.

1931 to 2018Leading the Jerusalem FactionFounding Ma'alot HaTorah yeshivaOpposing the Haredi draft

Born: 21 September 1931, Jerusalem
Died: 24 February 2018, Jerusalem
Occupation: rabbi

Shmuel Auerbach was born in 1931 in Jerusalem

Auerbach was born in 1931 in the Sha'arei Hesed neighborhood of Jerusalem and lived there all his life. He was the eldest son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Chaya Rivka Ruchamkin. He married Rachel Paksher, who died in 1990, and the couple had no children.

He studied at the Etz Chaim yeshiva and with his father. He also studied Kabbalah with Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi and Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Hillel.

As a young man he headed the Shem Olam yeshiva of the Amshinov Hasidim. In the 1970s he taught at the Itri yeshiva until 1977. In 1982 he founded the Ma'alot HaTorah yeshiva in Sha'arei Hesed and led it.

After a split in the Lithuanian Haredi camp near the death of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, he led the minority camp. In 2012 the newspaper HaPeles was founded under his patronage. In 2013 his supporters formed the Bnei Torah party, which won 5 seats in local elections and opposed the drafting of Haredi men into the IDF.

He died in 2018.

Shmuel Auerbach's life in 7 milestones

1931
Born in Jerusalem.
1954
Opposed raising the Israeli flag at the Etz Chaim yeshiva on Independence Day.
1982
Founded the Ma'alot HaTorah yeshiva.
2010
Signed a letter opposing IDF conversions to Judaism.
2012
The newspaper HaPeles was founded under his patronage.
2013
His supporters formed the Bnei Torah party.
2018
Died.