Rav Shmuly Yanklowitz studied at the University of Texas as an undergraduate, Harvard University for a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Psychology, Yeshiva University for a second Master’s Degree in Jewish Philosophy, and at Columbia University for his Doctorate in Moral Development and Epistemology. He has taught as an instructor of moral philosophy at Barnard College and at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Shmuly was ordained as a Rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Rav Shmuly has served as a congregational rabbi and as a campus Senior Jewish Educator and Hillel Director of Jewish Life.

As a global social justice activist and educator, Shmuly has volunteered, taught, and staffed missions in five continents including Israel, Ghana, India, France, Thailand, El Salvador, Britain, Senegal, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Argentina, South Africa, and Haiti. Shmuly served at the World Economic Forum in Geneva and Davos, Switzerland as the rabbinic representative, a facilitator, and motivational speaker. Rav Shmuly is the Founder and President of Uri L’Tzedek, the Founder and CEO of The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute, and is the author of ten books.

A film crew followed Shmuly for over a year to produce a PBS documentary (“The Calling”) about the training of religious leadership which aired nationwide in December 2010. In 2012 and in 2013, Newsweek rated Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America. In 2016, the Forward named Rabbi Shmuly one of The Most Inspiring Rabbis in America. In 2016, the Forward named Rav Shmuly one of the 50 most influential Jews. In the same year, Yanklowitz was selected for the Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship in Cross-Cultural Leadership and Innovative Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge. Shmuly, his wife Shoshana, his daughter Amiella, and his son Lev, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Shmuly Yanklowitz: A Rabbi Leading by Example

In 2016, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz addressed the largest humanitarian crisis in recent memory: the conflict in Syria and the resulting displacement and death of unfathomable numbers of people. A co-founder of Jews for Human Rights in Syria, Yanklowitz has advocated for a more welcoming attitude toward Syrian refugees, both in the United States and Europe. This year, despite the U.S.’s overwhelming reluctance to accept refugees, he has traveled and spoken in order to urge politicians to pass legislation to stop attacks on Syrian civilians. By framing the crisis as what it is — that is, a human struggle, we are morally obliged to tackle — Yanklowitz has raised awareness for Syrians and their plight, and he’s fought for a solution to their suffering.

Yanklowitz has been revolutionizing Orthodoxy for some time. It’s hard to overstate the extent of his eclectic approach to tikkun olam. He inspires his community, and was one of the Forward’s Inspiring Rabbis of 2016. He’s the founder of Uri L’Tzedek, a movement that advocates for social justice from an Open Orthodox point of view; Shamayim V’Aretz Institute, a center for animal welfare and YATOM, a Jewish adoption and fostering network. He fights for LGBTQ rights (including supporting gay marriage) and advocates for more sex and consent education for Orthodox youth. He’s also a vocal supporter of cadaveric and living organ donation, and backed that up in a serious way: In 2015, he donated one of his kidneys to a stranger.