Shmuly Yanklowitz is a rabbi, activist, and author. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek and The Daily Beast listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. The Forward named Yanklowitz one of the 50 most influential Jews of 2016 and also one of the most inspiring rabbis in America. In 2020, Yanklowitz was named a "Hero of Dialogue" by the international group KAICIID.
Educational and professional background
Yanklowitz was ordained as a rabbi at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, received a second rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chief rabbi of Efrat, and a third rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo of Jerusalem. He earned a master's degree at Harvard University in Leadership and Psychology and a second master's degree in Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University. Yanklowitz earned a Doctorate from Columbia University in Epistemology and Moral Development and has taught seminars at UCLA Law School and Barnard College. Yanklowitz worked in corporate and non-profit consulting and was the Director of Panim JAM in Washington D.C., training others in leadership and advocacy. While in rabbinical school, Yanklowitz served at four different Orthodox congregations. Following his ordination, Yanklowitz served as Senior Jewish Educator and Director of Jewish Life at UCLA Hillel from 2010 to 2012. Yanklowitz has served as a delegate to the World Economic Forum. From August 2012 to May 2013, Yanklowitz served as the Senior Rabbi of Kehilath Israel Synagogue in Overland Park, Kansas. In July 2013, he became Executive Director, then later President and Dean, of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix, Arizona.
Activism
Yanklowitz is the founder of multiple nonprofit organizations that engage in activism:
He founded Uri L'Tzedek, an Orthodox social justice organization.
He founded SHAMAYIM: Jewish Animal Welfare, an animal welfare spiritual activist center.
He founded YATOM: The Jewish Foster & Adoption Network.
He founded Torat Chayim, a "progressive-minded" Orthodox rabbinic association.
In 2012, Yanklowitz co-founded “Jews for Human Rights in Syria" and has worked closely with Syrian refugees.
Yanklowitz founded and leads the Jewish social justice group Arizona Jews for Justice.
Yanklowitz has advocated for a regulated organ market, cadaveric organ donation, as well as for living kidney donation. Yanklowitz is a kidney donor. Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton appointed Yanklowitz to be a commissioner on the Phoenix Human Relations Commission. Yanklowitz has organized the Jewish community for the abolition of the death penalty Yanklowitz is a leading advocate for increased Jewish-Muslim dialogue. Yanklowitz has been an advocate for racial justice including calling for police reform and slave reparations.
Asylum Seeker and Refugee Relief
Yanklowitz has advocated for refugees and asylum seekers at the Southern Border of the United States calling the need to assist asylum seekers a "spiritual revolution." Through Uri L'Tzedek and Arizona Jews for Justice, Yanklowitz and partners have raised awareness on the issue and have led campaigns to collect supplies for asylum seekers released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yanklowitz launched The Mask Project, which employs immigrant mothers to make masks for populations such as the Navajo Nation and the homeless.
Documentary
A film crew followed Yanklowitz for over a year to produce a PBSdocumentary named The Calling, a documentary series that follows seven Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews as they train to become professional clergy. The program aired in the United States in December 2010. Yanklowitz was featured in the 2019 documentary "A Prayer for Compassion."
Jewish Veganism
Yanklowitz is vegan. Under Yanklowitz's direction, the SHAMAYIM: Jewish Animal Welfare launched the Synagogue Vegan Challenge in Summer 2017. Yanklowitz has written extensively on questions of Jewish veganism and vegetarianism. He has argued that Jewish animal ethics can encompass both speciest frameworks and more egalitarian frameworks. Yanklowitz has opposed the shackle-and-hoist method of slaughter. In 2017, Yanklowitz was one of the rabbis who signed a statement by Jewish Veg encouraging veganism for all Jews.
The Jewish Spirituality of Service: Giving Back Rather Than Giving In! - 2018
Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary - 2018
A Torah Giant: The Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi Dr. Irving Greenberg - 2018
Postmodern Jewish Ethics: Emerging Social Justice Paradigms - 2017
Torah of the Street, Torah of the Heart - 2016
Existing Eternally, Existing Tomorrow: Essays on Jewish Ethics & Social Justice - 2015
The Jewish Vegan - 2015
SPARKS! Bringing Light Back into the World - 2014
Soul Searching: A Jewish Workbook for Spiritual Exploration and Growth - 2014
Bringing Heaven Down To Earth: Jewish Ethics for a Complex and Evolving World - 2014
Spiritual Courage: Vignettes on Jewish Leadership for the Twenty-First Century - 2014
The Soul of Jewish Social Justice - 2014
Epistemic Development in Talmud Study - 2013
Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century - 2012
Yanklowitz’s writing has been described as challenging Jews to seek social justice. Regarding Jewish Ethics & Social Justice, Peter L. Rothholz wrote that “in language that is at once passionate and direct, the author tackles a number of delicate subjects head on and makes practical suggestions for dealing with them.” Regarding Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary, David Ellenson wrote that Yanklowitz "inspires" and "challenges his readers... to improve the world."
Personal life
Yanklowitz is married, has four biological children, has fostered children, and lives in Phoenix, AZ. Yanklowitz himself underwent Orthodox conversion to Judaism, as he is the son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother. He is an advocate for greater inclusion of Jewish converts and for the inclusion of interfaith families.
