International Rabbinic Fellowship
Organization·ngo·AI Enriched
Relationships:1
Events:4
Library:3
Confidence:
95%
Key Facts
Type
Organization
Sector
ngo
Industry
Not specified
Status
Draft
Country
United States
Headquarters
Not specified
Founded
1/1/2007
Dissolved
Active
Also Known As
IRF
Tags
Modern Orthodoxrabbinical associationOpen Orthodoxywomen rabbisReligious Zionism
Overall Confidence
95%
Internal Notes
No notes
Key Information
Leadership
Rabbi Yonah Berman
President
- Present
Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
Executive Director
- Present
Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky
Vice President
- Present
Rabbi Alissa Thomas-Newborn
Vice President
- Present
Rabbi Emily Goldberg Winer
Vice President
- Present
Rabbi Fred Klein
Treasurer
- Present
Rabbi Zach Truboff
Secretary
- Present
Rabbi Saul Strosberg
Immediate Past President
Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Co-Founder
2007
Emile Ackermann
Board Member
- Present
Yonatan Cohen
Board Member
- Present
Yehoshua Ellis
Board Member
- Present
Rachel Kohl Finegold
Board Member
- Present
Ruth Balinsky Friedman
Board Member
- Present
Dasi Fruchter
Board Member
- Present
Rabbi Barry Gelman
Board Member
- Present
Rabbi Nati Helfgot
Board Member
- Present
Phil Kaplan
Board Member
- Present
Elliot Kaplowitz
Board Member
- Present
Anat Sharbat
Board Member
- Present
Ben Shefter
Board Member
- Present
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz
Board Member
- Present
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld
Board Member
- Present
Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Lifetime Honorary Member - Ex Officio
2007 - Present
Positions
No positions added
About
The International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) is a Modern Orthodox rabbinical organization co-founded in 2007 by Rabbis Avi Weiss and Marc D. Angel as an alternative to the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). It is open to Orthodox rabbis, including graduates of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) and Yeshivat Maharat, and is the only Orthodox rabbinical association to admit women rabbis as members (since 2012, after voting against in 2010). The IRF promotes an open and accessible Orthodoxy, supports halachic prenuptial agreements, and engages in Torah study, respectful discussion, and advocacy on Jewish and global issues. It has approximately 250 members worldwide.
Key Relationships
Avi Weiss
co_founder
Weiss and Marc Angel co-founded the IRF in 2007 to provide a professional association for Open Orthodox and liberal Modern Orthodox rabbis. The organization accepts graduates of YCT and Yeshivat Maharat, serving as an institutional counterweight to the RCA.
Since 2007
Recent Events
Began admitting women rabbis as members
The IRF became the only Orthodox rabbinical association to admit women rabbis as members starting in 2012
1/1/2012
Voted against admitting women rabbis as members
The IRF voted against admitting women rabbis as members in 2010
1/1/2010
Co-founded International Rabbinic Fellowship
Rabbi Marc D. Angel co-founded the organization
1/1/2007
Became Lifetime Honorary Member of International Rabbinic Fellowship
Rabbi Marc D. Angel became Lifetime Honorary Member - Ex Officio
1/1/2007