Yehoshua Fass

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Yehoshua Fass
Born (1973-07-09) 9 July 1973 (age 51)
New York
EducationB.A., Yeshiva University
M.A., Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration
Rabbinic ordination, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Occupation(s)Rabbi, co-founder of Nefesh B'Nefesh

Yehoshua Fass (born July 9, 1973) is an American-Israeli rabbi and the co-founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B'Nefesh. The Jerusalem Post listed him among the fifty most influential Jews of 2017, and he is the recipient of the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism.

Contents

Early life and education

Fass was born in New York. With the original plan to be at doctor, he completed a B.A. in biology and education at Yeshiva University when he was 20 years old. [1] He was too young to enter medical school, so he took a year to teach in New York and New Jersey and discovered his passion for Jewish education. [2] He earned an M.A. degree in education, and rabbinic ordination through the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University. [3]

Career

Fass was a Judaic Studies Fellow of the Judaic Fellowship Program in Boca Raton, Florida. [2] Eighteen months after starting the Fellowship Program, Fass was appointed assistant and then associate rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue. He sat on the Orthodox Rabbinical Council Beit Din, and opened and served as director of the Helen Julius Reiter Institute of Judaic Studies. [4] He also worked as educational director of March of the Living. [2]

Nefesh B'Nefesh

In March 2001, Fass's 13-year-old cousin Naftali Lanzkron was murdered in a terrorist bombing in Israel. [5] According to Fass, this event spurred his family's decision to move to Israel. [2] He and Tony Gelbart, [6] a Florida businessman, researched the reasons why North Americans interested in moving to Israel do not follow through with this decision. He had conversations with members of his community who expressed a desire to move to Israel but were too overwhelmed by the process. Those conversations and the challenges Fass encountered while coordinating his move compelled Fass to consider how the process could be streamlined. Together with Gelbart, he co-founded Nefesh B'Nefesh, [7] an organization that facilitates the immigration of North American Jews to Israel. [2] [1]

Awards and recognition

Personal life

In 2002, Fass immigrated to Israel with the first Nefesh B'Nefesh charter flight. [1] [5] [7]

Fass lives in Beit Shemesh with his wife and seven children. [1]

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aliyah 'King' Fass has helped 23,000 To Israel". jewishtelegraph.com.
  3. Hoffman, Yair (July 10, 2022). "Interview with Nefesh B'Nefesh co-Founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass". theyeshivaworld.com.
  4. Warth, Gary (July 23, 2006). "Israel bound: Despite conflict in region, U.S. Jews prepare to emigrate". sandiegouniontribune.com.
  5. 1 2 Lambert, Clay (June 17, 2002). "Area man spearheads move to Israel". The Palm Beach Post . p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Nefesh B'Nefesh Promotes Aliyah". jewishpost.com.
  7. 1 2 Collie, Tim (July 10, 2002). "Israeli crowds welcome immigrants". South Florida Sun Sentinel . p. 12 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Benari, Elad (May 31, 2011). "Moskowitz Zionism Prizes Awarded". israelnationalnews.com.
  9. "Nefesh B'Nefesh Founders Get YU Honorary Doctorates". jewishpress.com. June 2, 2013.
  10. Amouyal, Noa (September 20, 2017). "#47 Yehoshua Fass - The Rabbi Making the Zionist Dream Possible". jpost.com.
  11. "Special Gifts Gala - National Library, Jerusalem". Hadassah Israel. Retrieved January 26, 2025.