In 1995 he married Margalit, daughter of Adina Bar-Shalom[citation needed] and granddaughter of Rav Ovadia Yosef.[1]Rav Ovadia Yosef referred to Rabbi Dweck as his "heart's desire" and "the esteemed Rabbi who brings merit to the community" in an approbation written for Dweck's book on Jewish blessings, Birkhot Shamayim.
Rabbi Dweck received his semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Rav Ovadia Yosef under the auspices of the Sephardic Rabbinical College of Brooklyn, New York.
From 1996 to 1999, Dweck studied at the YULA Kollel in Los Angeles under Rabbi Nachum Sauer. In 1999 he moved to Brooklyn, New York to become a fellow of the newly established Sephardic Rabbinical College under the direction of Rabbi Shimon Alouf, where he studied for the next seven years and received semikha.[citation needed]
From 1999 to 2014, he served as rabbi of Sha'are Shalom, a Syrian synagogue in Brooklyn.[2] From 2005 to 2008, Dweck also taught Mishna at Barkai Yeshiva in Brooklyn. He assumed the role of Hebrew Principal in 2009, and became Rosh Yeshiva in 2010, a position he held for four years.[citation needed]
In his earlier years, Rabbi Dweck trained as a Hazan (cantor) in Israel under famed Hazan Moshe Habusha and later in Brooklyn, NY, under Rabbi Refael Elnadav. In 1999, he joined Sha’are Shalom, a Syrian synagogue in Brooklyn, NY as their hazzan.
Community Rabbi
Shortly thereafter, he was asked to assume the position as rabbi of the congregation, a position he held for 15 years. Under his guidance, the synagogue flourished, as the original 50 members grew into over 350 families, with Rabbi Dweck deeply involved in all aspects of daily community life.
Teacher
Rabbi Dweck began his formal teaching career as a high school teacher of Jewish Law and Philosophy at Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York where he taught for two years.
From 2005 to 2008, Rabbi Dweck taught Mishna at Barkai Yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City. He assumed the role of Hebrew Principal in 2009, and later became Rosh Yeshiva/Head of School in 2010, a position he served for four years.
Head of School
Rabbi Dweck centred Barkai's core vision on the concept that "the Author of the Torah is the Author of the world". As such, all students were taught the five books of the Torah, establishing a comprehensive framework of thought, with secular studies taught uncompromisingly through the lens of Torah. This encompassed all aspects throughout the curriculum, including art and physical education.
Head of S&P Sephardi Community
In 2013, Rabbi Dweck was appointed Senior Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation of the UK, later rebranded The S&P Sephardi Community. Rabbi Dweck was elected with a 270–4 vote, a margin believed to be the largest in UK synagogue history. On Sunday, 24 September 2014, Rabbi Dweck was officially installed as Senior Rabbi at the community's cathedral synagogue, Bevis Marks.The Jewish Chronicle reported that:
"Religious leaders from across the Anglo-Jewish spectrum, from Liberals to Lubavitch, came to celebrate the arrival of the fresh-faced new leader, aged just 39, at the community's oldest congregation. Dayanim from the Federation and United Synagogue and a large contingent from independent Sephardi communities attended, as well as Emeritus Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who took part in the ceremony."
In his inaugural address Rabbi Dweck said:
"The most precious element of [The S&P's] history are the ideas and the thinking that came from my predecessors because of their commitments not only to Jewish life, observance and continuity but also because they taught our Torah within a relevant and rational framework. This trend of traditional observance, coupled with immersion in the world and society, is the crowning glory of our Sephardi tradition."
He went on to say that Judaism should be available to the community in 'High Definition’.
As Head of S&P, Rabbi Dweck's responsibilities include:
Oversight of the religious functions of the various member synagogues
Setting the strategic and spiritual vision for the community
Spiritual Head of The Sephardi Kashrut Authority (SKA)
Ambassador and Spokesperson for the community at various national and international forums
Interacting with Jewish students on university campuses across the UK
Annual Scholar-In-Residence with the Sephardic Community Alliance
Despite no longer living in the United States, Rabbi Dweck has maintained a close and warm relationship with the Sephardic Community Alliance. He participates in many of their programs and is an especially popular Scholar-in-Residence during their annual summer programming for the Syrian community in Deal, New Jersey.
In 2015, the Jewish News in conjunction with the Jewish Leadership Council published '40 Under 40', listing young members of the British Jewish Community at the forefront of Jewish life, with Rabbi Dweck listed 4th among the top 10.
Controversy
In May 2017, Rabbi Dweck delivered a lecture in which he presented his approach regarding the Torah view on homosexuality, declaring that Jewish law does not legislate against the feelings involved (sexual relations, he stated, are prohibited by the Torah). He suggested that contemporary developments on this issue, while problematic, are also "a fantastic development to humanity" as they force humanity to rethink the question of love, and potentially remove the stigma associated with platonic love and affection between men.[8] He preceded his words with caveats and stated his awareness of the controversial nature of the topic, explaining that he had been thinking about it for years and felt the need to discuss it because "no one was talking about it openly in Orthodox Judaism."[8] This lecture proved highly controversial and while some welcomed and supported it,[9][10] others strongly rejected it,[11] including Rabbi Aharon Bassous and the Beth Din of the prominent Haredi rabbi Nissim Karelitz. Rabbi Dweck issued a clarification letter explaining his Halakhic stance and intentions.[12]
In the wake of the controversy, a rabbinic panel to question Dweck on his statements and teaching was convened, consisting of Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu (Av Beth Din of Europe), Dayan Menachem Gelly (Rosh Beth Din of the London Beth Din), and Dayan Avraham David (Rosh Beth Din of the Sephardi Beth Din). The panel concluded that Dweck could continue his role as the Senior Rabbi of the Sephardi community.[13] The decision was supported by former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.[14]
In January 2018, Rabbi Dweck resumed his lectures with a new series at the London Jewish School of Studies, at a sold-out return to Hendon.
Ovadia Yosef was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Yosef's responsa were highly regarded within Haredi circles, particularly among Mizrahi communities, among whom he was regarded as "the most important living halakhic authority".
Har Nof is a neighborhood on a hillside on the western boundary of Jerusalem with a population of 20,000 residents, predominantly Orthodox Jews.
The B'nai Yosef Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 1616 Ocean Parkway and Avenue P in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States. The congregation practices in the Sephardi rite. The synagogue is considered "America's busiest synagogue for Middle and near-Eastern Jews", with over 30 prayer services daily.
Ezra Attiya was one of the greatest teachers of Torah in the Sephardic Jewish world during the 20th century. He was rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem for 45 years, nurturing thousands of students who, together with their students, constitute the bulk of Sephardic Torah leadership today.
Har HaMenuchot is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at the western edge of the city adjacent to the neighborhood of Givat Shaul, with commanding views of Mevaseret Zion to the north, Motza to the west, and Har Nof to the south. Opened in 1951 on 300 dunams of land, it has continually expanded into new sections on the northern and western slopes of the hill. As of 2008, the cemetery encompasses 580 dunams in which over 150,000 people are buried.
Porat Yosef Yeshiva is a Sephardic yeshiva in Jerusalem, with locations in both the Old City and the Geula neighborhood. The name Porat Yosef means "Joseph is a fruitful tree" after the biblical verse Genesis 49:22.
Gateshead Talmudical College, popularly known as Gateshead Yeshiva, is located in the Bensham area of Gateshead in North East England. It is the largest yeshiva in Europe and considered to be one of the most prestigious advanced yeshivas in the Orthodox world. The student body currently numbers approx. 350. Although students are mainly British, there are European, American, Canadians as well as some from South America, Australia and South Africa. Most students are Litvish, but up to a third are Hasidic.
Ben Zion Abba Shaul was one of the leading Sephardic rabbis, Torah scholars and halakhic arbiters of his day, and the rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem for the last 15 years of his life. He was responsible for a religious revival among Sephardic Jews with his founding of Ma'ayan HaChinuch HaTorani, a network of Torah schools for Sephardic children in Israel, and was widely known for his ability to give blessings that were fulfilled.
Yitzhak Yosef is an Israeli Haredi rabbi. The former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, he also serves as the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia in Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood.
Yehuda Yehoshua Tzadka was a respected Sephardi rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He became a student in the yeshiva after his bar mitzvah, and continued to study and teach there for almost 70 years.
Amram Aburbeh, also spelled Abourabia and Aburabia, was the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic congregation in Petah Tikva, Israel and author of Netivei Am, a collection of responsa, sermons, and Torah teachings.
Baruch Ben Haim was a Sephardi Hakham who served as Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York for 55 years. He taught at Magen David Yeshiva and established the Shaare Zion Torah Center at Congregation Shaare Zion. He was a protege of Rabbi Ezra Attiya, rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva, who trained and dispatched students to leadership positions in Sephardi communities around the world.
Pinchas Toledano is Hakham-Emeritus of Amsterdam and of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the Netherlands. He was also the official Av Beit Din, head of the court, of the Netherlands Beit Din.
Yosef Mizrachi is a Haredi rabbi and public speaker. Considered by many to be a leading Orthodox Jewish outreach rabbi, Mizrachi's outspokenness on certain issues has led to his widespread denunciation and characterization as misguided by leading Orthodox Jewish authorities.
Yaakov Hai Zion Ades, also spelled Adas or Adess, was a Sephardi Hakham, Rosh Yeshiva, and Rabbinical High Court judge. As rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem, he raised thousands of students, including Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel; Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul, rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef; and Rabbi Yehuda Hakohen Rabin, Chief Rabbi of Bukharan Jewry in Israel.
Eliyahu Ben Chaim is a Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox halachist. He is the Av Beit Din of Mekor Haim in Queens, New York, and a prominent leader of New York's Sephardi Jewish community.
Sadqa Hussein was a Sephardi dayan, mohel, and spiritual leader to the Iraqi Jewish community in Iraq and Israel. He taught thousands of students in Baghdad, and led the Iraqi expatriate community in Jerusalem. He was the founder and rosh mesivta of the Shemesh Sedaqah Synagogue in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Yitzhak Israeli is a Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox halakhist. He is the Av Beit Din of Torah U'Mishpat in Brooklyn, New York. He serves as the Rabbi of the Sephardic Center of Mill Basin, a predominantly Syrian Jewish congregation.
The Yosef family is an Israeli family noted for prominent Mizrahi Rabbis, and for its involvement in Israeli politics through the Shas political party. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973-1983 and founder of Shas, was considered the pre-eminent leader of Mizrahi Jews during and after his lifetime. Yosef also founded the Badatz Beit Yosef, an agency for certifying a food's kosher status. The agency is one of the largest in Israel, and is a major source of wealth for the family.
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