Yeshiva Barkai Yeshiva Spouse Margalit Dweck Organization London Denomination Orthodox Judaism Positions Rabbi | Nationality American Role Rabbi Birth name Joseph Dweck Name Joseph Dweck | |
Organisation The S&P Sephardi Community, London | ||
Rabbi joseph dweck at the centre for jewish life in london 2015
Joseph Dweck was born in Los Angeles and is of Syrian Jewish origin. He has served as the rabbi of Congregation Shaare Shalom in Brooklyn since 1999 and Rosh Yeshiva/Head of School at Barkai Yeshivah since 2010. He studied at Yeshiva Hazon Ovadia in Jerusalem. He received his semikha from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef under the auspices of the Sephardic Rabbinical College, Brooklyn. He was appointed Senior Rabbi of The S&P Sephardi Community of London, England in 2013.
Contents
- Rabbi joseph dweck at the centre for jewish life in london 2015
- Rabbi joseph dweck introduction to sefer melachim
- Background
- References
Rabbi joseph dweck introduction to sefer melachim
Background
His wife Margalit is the granddaughter of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
Prior to Shavuot 2017, he gave a lecture in which he seemed to encourage certain aspects of gay love and relationship, declaring Judaism wasn't against it (apart from sexual relations, which he viewed as prohibited by the Torah), and suggesting that contemporary developments on this issue, while problematic, are also positive for the world as they force us to rethink the question of love. He preceded his words with caveats and stated his awareness of the controversial nature of the topic, explaining that he had been thinking about it for years and felt the need to discuss it because "no one was talking about it in Orthodoxy." This lecture indeed proved highly controversial and while some welcomed and supported it, others strongly rejected it, including Rabbi Aharon Bassous, a Sephardic-Hareidi Rabbi in London.
In June 2017, a prominent Haredi rabbinical court in Israel published an open letter declaring that Dweck's lectures "are complete heresy." Among those courts is the Beth Din Tzedek of Bnei Brak, which is headed by Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, one of the most respected leaders in the Orthodox world.
Rabbi Dweck issued various letters explaining his stance and reassuring others of his good intentions when making the speech. In July 2017, he stepped down as Dayan of the Sephardi Beth Din and was retained as Senior Rabbi of the S&P, after various discussions with other rabbinic leaders in the UK and abroad.