David Lau
| Rabbi David Baruch Lau דוד ברוך לאו | |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel | |
 | |
| Began | 2013 |
| Predecessor | Yona Metzger |
| Other |
Chief Rabbi of Shoham Chief Rabbi of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | David Baruch Lau |
| Born |
13 January 1966 Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Denomination | Orthodox |
| Residence | Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut |
| Parents | Rabbi Yisrael (Israel) Meir Lau |
David Baruch Lau (Hebrew: דוד לאו; born 13 January 1966) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel achieving a majority of the vote on July 24, 2013.[1] He previously served as the Chief Rabbi of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel and as the Chief Rabbi of Shoham. Lau is the son of former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.
Biography
Lau was born January 13, 1966 in Tel Aviv to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. He studied at Yeshivat Yishuv HaHadash, and later at Yeshivat Beit Matityahu. He was the first rabbi of the town of Shoham. When the city of Modi'in was established, he was chosen as its Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi alongside the Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Alharar. Along with Rabbi Alharar, he established an array of Torah classes in the city, including on the subjects of kashrut, eruvim, and Jewish weddings. Rabbi Lau is a reserve major in the Intelligence Corps.
Lau was the first rabbi in Israel to teach responsa over the internet. Since the summer of 2006, he has appeared every Friday on the show "Ask the Rabbi" on HaArutz HaRishon, a show about halakhic questions and answers. Since 1999, he broadcast the daily program "Jewish Point" on the radio station Kol Chai.
He has published articles in different journals, such as Tehumin. Similarly, he edited a book of his father's responsa titled Yichil Yisrael. He also edited and published a book in memory of his grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Yedidya Frankel. In 2008, he published his book Maskil LeDavid on issues of genealogy, conversion, military law, and other matters.
On June 24, 2013, he was elected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. At the time of his election, he was the youngest person (at 47) to be elected Chief Rabbi of Israel. The inauguration took place on 14 August 2013 at the official residence of the President of Israel.[2]
During his visit to the Netherlands in 2016, Rabbi David Baruch Lau placed a Mezuzah at the Centrum voor Haagse Jiddisjkeit (the centre for Yiddishkeit in The Hague ) CHAJ in The Hague.[3]
-
Rabbi David Lau at the CHAJ centre in The Hague.
Family
Rabbi Lau is married to Tzipporah, daughter of Hadassah and Yitzhak Ralbag, a political activist and a member of the Chief Rabbinate and former chairman of the Jerusalem Religious Council, respectively.
| Jewish titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yona Metzger |
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel 2013–present |
Incumbent |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||