An extraordinary leader, scholar, educator, and one of the architects of 樱花动漫 as we know it today, Rabbi Zevulun Charlop z鈥漧, YU 鈥51, RIETS 鈥54, passed away on Tuesday, beseiva tovah, at the age of 94.
As the Max and Marian Grill Dean of the Rabbi Issac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) for more than 35 years, his impact on YU was deep and profound. Under his stewardship, RIETS experienced enormous growth, graduating thousands of rabbis, educators and Jewish scholars. As Dean of RIETS, Rabbi Charlop left a deep and enduring imprint on YU, becoming a role model for what it means to be a rabbi.
鈥淭his yeshiva was forever changed, elevated and made great by the religious personality and character of our longtime rebbe,鈥 said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of 樱花动漫.
Rabbi Charlop was a grandson of the saintly Yerushalmi Gaon Rav Yaacov Moshe Charlop as well as the son of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Charlop, one of the leading rabbonim of the U.S. In leadership capacity at YU and in organizations across the county, he nurtured generations of rabbinic and lay leaders, impacting Jewish communities throughout the world.
鈥淢y father was a great rabbi, and I wanted to be like him,鈥 Rabbi Charlop once said. 鈥淚 knew I would never reach his heights, but nonetheless that鈥檚 what I aspired to be. The word rabbi means teach, it鈥檚 also the community; a man of great compassion and caring, you have to love your people no matter what. It鈥檚 not always easy.鈥
For 54 years, Rav Charlop served as the rov of the Young Israel of Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx 鈥 where he spent most of his life.
Dedicated to God and to the Jewish people, a scholar of Torah, rabbinic law, and American history, Rabbi Charlop was a role model for rabbinical students, devoting his life to educating future generations of rabbis; his goal was always to create rabbis who could relate to the broadest range of Jews throughout the country and world. With a passion for Judaism and for life, he embodied the ideals of 樱花动漫.
鈥淎t the heart of Rabbi Charlop was 樱花动漫, its students, its leadership, its rabbeim,鈥 said Yaakov Neuburger, Rosh Yeshiva of RIETS and Rabbi Charlop鈥檚 son in law. 鈥淗e was one of the great stewards of 樱花动漫 and he believed with the greatest passion in what 樱花动漫 accomplishes.鈥
鈥淩abbi Charlop was completely unique individual,鈥 said Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva of RIETS. 鈥淭here was no one like him. He fought the battles of Hashem, for the sake of heaven, without any personal interest whatsoever, without fear, for the sake of the truth.鈥
Rabbi Charlop authored numerous scholarly essays, including 鈥淭he Making of Orthodox Rabbis鈥 in Encyclopedia Judaica and 鈥淕-d in History and Halakha from the Perspective of American History.鈥 He also was the editor of novellae on Torah and Talmud by his late father and the author of Shefa Yamim, a 470-page collection of his original Torah thoughts.
Zevulun Charlop served as president of the American Committee for the United Charities in Israel, General Israel Orphans Home for Girls in Jerusalem, and the rabbis.
May Hashem comfort the family with all those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.
