Can the Chief Rabbi Shake a Woman’s Hand?

Noted author Dr. Alan Unterman is interviewed about his famous uncle Chief Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman who stressed being kind and understanding as much as being loyal to Torah values. Hear about the controversies of the day when the State of Israel was founded and how the Zionist movement had to deal with Jewish religious issues for the first time.

- What happens when a woman holds out her hand for the rabbi to shake?
- How does one deal with losing an election for Chief Rabbi?
- Does a rabbi hold a grudge when publicly embarrassed?
- Why does the Chief Rabbi wear a top hat?

Dr. Unterman gives us a first-hand glimpse about the man who bridged the gap between the old-school European Litvish yeshiva world and the new modern Zionist State of Israel.

Rabbi Unterman (center, in top hat) at the ceremony of the Declaration of Independence, May 14, 1948. Credit: Hans Pinn, Israeli Government Press Office

NOTES:

• Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman Installed in Jerusalem - JTA, 1964

• Yael Unterman, Bibliodrama

• Book by Dr. Alan Unterman

• Biography of Isser Yehuda Unterman (1886 - 1976)

• Video of Rabbi Unterman being inaugurated Chief Rabbi

Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman at his inauguration as Chief Rabbi, Jerusalem, 1964. Credit: Moshe Pridan, GPO.