Rabbi David Masinter (born 25 November 1959) is a Rabbi, Founder and Director of the Miracle Drivers [1] annual charity drive, and Director of Chabad House in Johannesburg.
Rabbi David Masinter (born 25 November 1959) is a Rabbi, Founder and Director of the Miracle Drivers [1] annual charity drive, and Director of Chabad House in Johannesburg.
Rabbi David Masinter was born in the small town of Parys, Orange Free State, South Africa to a family of Lithuanian Jewish descent. He was schooled in Johannesburg and went on to study in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim at Kfar Chabad, Israel. He received his Bachelor of Religious Education degree from the Rabbinical College of America, and Rabbinical Ordination in 1982 from Central Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, Brooklyn, New York.
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Upon Ordination, Rabbi Masinter worked for Chabad's newly founded children's organization, Tzivos Hashem (The Army of God) and was tasked with revitalizing its children's magazine – Moshiach Times. It was at this stage that he met Al Jaffee, the artist for Mad Magazine and convinced him to develop the Shpy character (pronounced Spy with a Sh..) for Mashiach Times. This liaison has lasted over a quarter of a century. Other contributors included Dave Berg and Joe Kubert from DC Comics. Additionally, Alison Leigh Cowan [2] from The New York Times wrote an article referencing Rabbi Masinter for his role in involving artist Al Jaffee in the children's organization. [3]
In 1985 the Rabbi returned to South Africa to work for Chabad Lubavitch South Africa and was appointed Director of Chabad House Johannesburg in 1989.
In the years that followed, together with his colleague Rabbi Michael Katz, Rabbi Masinter introduced a variety of outreach and educational programmes. In the late 1990s he teamed up with Mike Schalit [4] of the Net#work BBDO advertising agency to develop advertising campaigns aimed at creating and enhancing Jewish awareness.
The Miracle Drive Trust was instituted to fund Chabad House in Johannesburg and its spectrum of programmes for all age groups. It was launched in 1989, with the support of John Newbury, Chairman of Nissan South Africa [5] ('Nissan' means 'miracle' in Hebrew), and the late Meyer Kahn of SA Breweries. Nissan donated a car every year, which was raffled, and the tradition continued for over 30 years. [6] Today the Miracle Drive is claimed to be one of the biggest charity events in the southern hemisphere, drawing up to 1800 people to its annual gala dinner. [7] [8] [9]
Because of challenges facing South Africa's previously disadvantaged children, the Rabbi co-authored the Grow Your Life [10] series of books aimed at giving children an aspiration for their future.
This project is aimed at educating the disadvantaged youth in South Africa on the importance of entrepreneurial skills, whilst simultaneously improving their reading skills. With less than 6% of public schools in South Africa having libraries, it is imperative to aid in the mission to give children the gift of literacy.
Over 400,000 copies have been printed. Grow Your Life has also led to the development of job creation programs. [11] [12] [13]
The overall goal of Miracle Drive is to offer assistance and welfare to the greater South African community, and therefore, in continuing with this vision statement, Rabbi Masinter decided to focus some of Miracle Drive's resources on creating mobile libraries throughout a number of informal settlements in Gauteng.
Thus, 21 libraries have been installed in various schools and townships in Gauteng.
They have served as a great source of education, upliftment and inspiration for the thousands of school-children and students who have been able to read and learn from them.
The vision is to instil in each child a sense of literacy, responsibility and entrepreneurship and in turn teach learners how they can better themselves and the lives of those around them no matter what background they come from. The goal is to address illiteracy and provide invaluable opportunities to the youth, one library at a time.
The libraries are built from 12-meter containers with doors and windows installed. The buildings are then transformed into a comfortable and productive space with tables, chairs, shelves and a collection of the ‘Grow Your Life’ book series.
ARK is an acronym for Acts of Random Kindness. The goal of the campaign is simple – get people to fill up the yellow ARK with spare change, and when full, donate it to someone less fortunate. Basically, to get people to increase in acts of goodness and kindness.
The ARK project is a part of Rabbi Masinter's the Change Our World for Good Campaign. In a world facing immense challenges on a daily basis, it is just about getting people to do good for others, there is no monetary benefit for the Rabbi's organisation. [14]
The success of the ARK project has seen over 800 000 ARK's distributed by May 2024, and has subsequently inspired Rabbi Masinter to launch new innovative initiatives. [15] [16]
With the help of Natie Kirsh, Rabbi Masinter purchased a small building in Sandton, the heart of South Africa's business capital. Chabad's Goodness and Kindness Centre will be used to bring people from all backgrounds, including those from previously disadvantaged homes, in order to teach them about the value of goodness and kindness in this world.
This is an on-going project with an exciting vision and endless possibilities.
The Rabbi is married to Chaya née Tanzer, daughter of Marcia and Rabbi Avraham Tanzer (Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva College, South Africa). They have six children and twelve grandchildren.
Tomchei Tmimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. Founded in 1897 in the town of Lubavitch by Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, it is now an international network of institutions of advanced Torah study, the United Lubavitcher Yeshivoth.
Moshe J. Kotlarsky is an Orthodox Hasidic rabbi who serves as Vice Chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement which in turn oversees over 5,000 religious and educational institutions worldwide. Kotlarsky is a key movement fundraiser, and a powerful figure in the outreach operation. He also heads the Chabad on Campus International Foundation which is active on over two hundred and thirty campuses worldwide, and serves as chairman of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute.
Jewish Released Time, also known as Sheloh, is an organization promoting released time for the Jewish education of Jewish children learning in public schools.
Rabbi Baruch Shlomo Eliyahu Cunin is a Hasidic Rabbi, associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Cunin is the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of California, and Chabad activities on the West Coast of the United States.
The Yeshiva College, also known as the Harry O. Triguboff Centre, is a Hasidic Jewish synagogue, learning centre, and library of the Chabad-Lubavitch nusach, located at 36 Flood Street, in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, New South Wales, Australia. The Centre runs various adult and child-based educational programs.
Mashpia or feminine Mashpi'oh lit. "person of influence", pl. Mashpi'im is the title of a rabbi who serves as a spiritual mentor in Hasidic Jewish yeshivas.
The Rabbinical College of Pretoria is a Chabad Yeshiva in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Lubavitch Yeshiva Gedolah of Johannesburg is a Chabad Yeshiva based in Glenhazel, Johannesburg. It was established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1983, and is headed by Rabbi Noam Wagner, with Rabbi Y. Kesselman as Mashpia. It focuses on the first two years post high school.
Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life and publisher of the weekly Algemeiner Journal. Jacobson is a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Chabad affiliated organizations and institutions number in the thousands. Chabad is a Hasidic movement, a branch of Orthodox Judaism. The organizations and institutions associated with the movement provide social, educational and religious services to Jews around the globe.
Ezra Binyomin Schochet is an Orthodox rabbi and Lubavitcher Hasid who serves as Rosh Yeshiva (dean) of Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad/West Coast Talmudical Seminary in Los Angeles, California, US.
Imrei Binah is a work by Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Rebbe of the Chabad Hasidic movement. Imrei Binah is considered to be one of the most profound texts in Chabad philosophy.
Sefer Hamamaarim 5672, or Ayin Beis, is a compilation of the Chasidic treatises by Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad, from the Hebrew year 5672 (1911-12). This series of Chassidic essays are considered a fundamental work of Chabad mysticism for its original treatment of many Chassidic concepts. The Ayin Beis series is one of the single longest works of Chabad philosophy. The work is also referred to as Hemshech Ayin Beis.
Yehoshua Mondshine was an Israeli rabbi, scholar, researcher and historian associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch, Hasidic movement. Mondshine worked as a librarian and bibliographer at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.
The Yeshivah Gedolah of Chabad Lubavitch in Frankfurt am Main is a Yeshiva operated by Chabad of Germany; see Tomchei Tmimim. The Director or Rosh Yeshivah is Rabbi Yossi Havlin; it was founded and continues to be run by Rabbi S. Zalman Gurevitch, Chabad Emissary to Frankfurt.
Yosef Yitzchak "Yossi" Jacobson, also known as YY Jacobson, is an American Chabad rabbi and speaker from Monsey, New York.
Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi was a Chabad rabbi who served as chief Rabbi of Shanghai from 1926 to 1949.
Marcus Solomon is an Australian jurist and rabbi who currently serves as a justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. He is the first Orthodox rabbi to serve as a Supreme Court justice in Australia.
The Rabbinical College of South Africa is a Chabad Yeshiva based in Sydenham, Johannesburg.
