Spertus Institute. 100 Years of Jewish learning for a better world
Spertus Institute. 100 Years of Jewish learning for a better world
Headshot of Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

Courses

  • Contemporary Jewish Ethics

Education

  • BA, University of Texas, Austin, TX
  • MA, Yeshiva University, New York, NY
  • MA, Harvard University, Boston, MA
  • Doctorate, Columbia University, New York, NY

Bio

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is the President and Dean of the Valley Beit Midrash (a national Jewish pluralistic adult learning and leadership center), the Founder and President of Uri L’Tzedek (a Jewish Social Justice organization), the Founder and President of Shamayim (a Jewish animal advocacy movement), and the Founder and President of YATOM (the Jewish foster and adoption network). Newsweek named Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America and the Forward named him one of the 50 most influential Jews.

Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz is the author of 27 books on Jewish ethics. His writings have also appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and as a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK.

Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz was ordained by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with two private ordinations in Israel. His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have also served as foster parents.

Publications

  • A Torah of Compassion: Jewish Meditations on Love and Justice (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2024)
  • 45 Great Philosophers and What They Mean for Judaism (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2024)
  • Forty Arguments for the Sake of Heaven: Why the Most Vital Controversies in Jewish Intellectual History Still Matter (Ben Yehuda Press, 2023)
  • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2023)
  • Shabbat as Revolution: 39 Ways to Renew Creation and Change the World (Urim Publications, Ktav Publishing House, 2022)
  • The Book of Proverbs: A Social Justice Commentary (CCAR Press, 2021)
  • The Five Ounce Gift: A Medical, Philosophical, & Spiritual Jewish Guide to Kidney Donation (Ben Yehuda Press, 2022)
  • From Suffering to Healing: Jewish Reflections on How to Repair our Broken World (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2021)
  • Faith and Resiliency: Spiritual & Halachic Rabbinic Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2021)
  • The Book of Jonah: A Social Justice Commentary (CCAR Press, 2020)
  • The Soul of Activism: A Spirituality for Social Change (Changemaker Books, 2019)
  • Jewish Veganism and Vegetarianism: Studies and New Directions (State University of New York Press, 2019)
  • Kashrut & Jewish Food Ethics (Academic Studies Press, 2019)
  • The Jewish Spirituality of Service: Giving Back Rather Than Giving In! ((Indie Publishing, LLC, 2018)
  • Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary (CCAR Press, 2018)
  • A Torah Giant: The Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi Dr. Irving Greenberg (ed.) (URIM Publications, 2018)
  • Postmodern Jewish Ethics: Emerging Social Justice Paradigms (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2017)
  • Torah of the Street, Torah of the Heart (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2016)
  • Existing Eternally, Existing Tomorrow: Essays on Jewish Ethics & Social Justice (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2015)
  • The Jewish Vegan (ed.) (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2015)
  • SPARKS! Bringing Light Back into the World (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2014)
  • Soul Searching: A Jewish Workbook for Spiritual Exploration and Growth ((Indie Publishing, LLC, 2014)
  • Bringing Heaven Down To Earth: Jewish Ethics for a Complex and Evolving World (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2014)
  • Spiritual Courage: Vignettes on Jewish Leadership for the Twenty-First Century (Indie Publishing, LLC, 2014)
  • The Soul of Jewish Social Justice (URIM Publications, 2014)
  • Epistemic Development in Talmud Study (2013)
  • Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century (Derusha Publishing, LLC, 2012)

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