Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch
(He, him, his)
Senior Rabbi
Email: rabbihirsch@swfs.org
Office: (212) 877-4050, ext. 226
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, where he has led a dramatic revival in Jewish life. Since his arrival in 2004 the synagogue has grown rapidly and has tripled its membership. He has introduced dramatic changes in worship, ritual, and education, attracting a new generation of Jews from throughout the New York region.
Rabbi Hirsch is recognized internationally for his leadership in Jewish affairs and is frequently cited in the media. In 2018, The Jerusalem Post named him among “The 50 Most Influential Jews of the Year.” City & Statepraised him as “the borough’s most influential voice” for Manhattan’s more than 300,000 Jews and The New York Observer named him among “New York’s Most Influential Religious Leaders.” Prior to his arrival at Stephen Wise, he served for 12 years as executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), the Israel arm of the North American Reform movement.
An accomplished teacher and public speaker, Rabbi Hirsch is also the coauthor of the acclaimed One People Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues that Divide Them.
Rabbi Hirsch has served on numerous boards of national and international bodies, including the Jewish Agency for Israel, the World Zionist Organization, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. He is currently an officer of the New York Board of Rabbis, and a member of the Partnership of Faith, an interfaith body of New York religious leaders, and New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Black-Jewish Clergy Roundtable.
Rabbi Hirsch received his ordination at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, where he was granted numerous awards for academic excellence. He also received an LL.B Honors (law degree) from the London School of Economics. He is a member of the New York State Bar.
From 1977 to 1980, Rabbi Hirsch served as a tank commander in the Israel Defense Forces.
Rabbi Hirsch can be reached at 212-877-4050, ext. 226, or by emailing his assistant, Cind Senensieb, at rabbiassistant@swfs.org.
Watch Sermons
Deliverance
“The Bible offers two models of salvation,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, “the Exodus and Purim. Judaism’s approach to history assumes that as the eras unfold divine intervention becomes less prominent and human deeds become more prominent.”
Between the Ordinary and the Sublime
“Few know that a full third of the Book of Exodus is about the minute details of building the Tabernacle,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “I think that it is to teach us that the grandest human accomplishments are the result of the smallest daily decisions. One ordinary thing after another — enough of them in the right places on the canvas of life — may produce a masterpiece.”
Some Thoughts on the Impeachment Trial
“To stand against the crowd requires courage,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflecting on the impeachment trial and this week’s parasha. “Moral courage is the human ingredient that is most difficult to bring out of ourselves. That’s why when we see it, we are so uplifted and inspired.”
On Boredom
“Few of us take the commandment mandating Shabbat observance seriously or even realize that it’s one of the Ten Commandments,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “Freeing up time is why God gave us Shabbat. Use it to contemplate the infinity of time and our own fragile existence — and then go out and help others who have it worse.”
Hold Me Up
Soon after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they were attacked by the Amalekites. Throughout the battle, “Moses raised his hands and kept them steady until sunset — so the people would see their leader and gain strength,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “But the only way Moses could keep his arms up was through the support of other people. We cannot prevail over life’s challenges alone. We must do it together.”
Reflections on the Inauguration
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on the stress of the past four years and his emotional reaction to the inauguration of President Joe Biden. “As I watched, I felt the heaviness lifting. The sadness began to ease. My emotions were relief, joy and hope — hope that we can restore what was lost.”
Frogs Here, Frogs There…
In this week’s parasha, the Torah says that a frog — written in the singular — started the surge that covered Egypt. Rabbis Elazar and Akiva argue: were the other frogs already there, waiting to be called, or did one create the rest? “Either way, millions of frogs came,” says Rabi Ammiel Hirsch. And the rabbis agree that, for better or worse, “one person has the power to motivate millions.”
For a Mess of Pottage
“Democracy is hard. It requires constant and loving cultivation,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “May it be that one day we will look back upon these days and conclude that the last four years were an aberration: that this is not who we are or want to be — that we are better than this.”
Predictions For 2021
“It is not for human beings to predict the future. Only God knows what will happen tomorrow,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch on New Year’s Day. “Jewish tradition is emphatic: the future is not some static immovable state of affairs. So act as if you can make a difference — and never lose hope.”
A Holy Day
“I love when Christmas falls on Shabbat,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “It gives me an opportunity to remind myself that Judaism is both universal and particular: that we unite with the world in fellowship — one human family. And still, we are a distinctive family.”
Recent Commentaries and Op-Eds
CBS Detroit Michigan Matters: Black History Month and MLK
Feb 28, 2021
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch’s sister, Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, and father, Rabbi Richard Hirsch, spoke on CBS Detroit’s “Michigan Matters” about their family’s involvement in the civil rights movement and the work that’s yet to be done to secure a more diverse and equitable future.
The Jerusalem Post: Senior Rabbi accuses Trump of ‘sledgehammering democratic norms’
Oct 31, 2020
On the Shabbat before Election Day, our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch worried about the threat of violence in the coming weeks, no matter the outcome: “I am deeply worried about our country. The American experiment rests on two central propositions that are under withering assault: the right to vote, and the peaceful transfer of power. On this last Shabbat before our fateful choice, we pray for the peace of our nation.”
The Jerusalem Post: NY synagogue Cries Out ‘Black Lives Matter’ in Rosh Hashanah Sermon
Sep 20, 2020
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch opened the Jewish New Year with a special message of “optimism and moral clarity,” as the synagogue called it, by stating that “Black lives matter” — and perpetuating the deep underlying connection that exists between the Jewish and African-American communities in the U.S.
NY Jewish Week: Rabbis See Birth of New Movement for Civil Rights
Jun 9, 2020
Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch voiced his support for protests and criticized the response of our country’s “politically incompetent and morally deficient national leadership” at a time when there is an “assault on the guardrails of democracy.”
NY Jewish Week: A Big Night for Netanyahu Is a Letdown for Liberal Jews
Mar 3, 2020
Israel’s consul general in New York, Amb. Dani Dayan, visted Lomdim Chofshi, our Israeli outreach initiative’s Hebrew school. Dayan spoke with the students about what being Israel means to him and the challenges and rewards of his job representing Israel in New York.
The New York Times: The Anti-Israel Craze Hits High School
Jan 16, 2020
“We are deeply worried about the effect that hatred of Israel has on students,” wrote our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch and Temple Emanu-El’s Rabbi Joshua Davidson in The New York Times. “When teachers turn the classroom into an arena for anti-Israel animosity, students become unwitting pawns instead of safeguarded learners.” New York Jewish Week, Mosaic, The Jewish Journal in Los Angeles, The Jewish Star, Jewish Currents, and +972 Magazine covered this opinion piece.
The New York Times: Fieldston, Elite Private School, Faces Backlash From Jewish Parents
Jan 10, 2020
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch and Temple Emanu-El’s Rabbi Joshua Davidson spoke to Fieldston students about anti-Semitism and defended Zionism on the same day the school fired a teacher who had posted multiple tweets disparaging Zionism. This story was also covered by The New York Post, JTA, JNS, The Washington Free Beacon and The Riverdale Press.
NY Jewish Week: Could A 3rd Election In Israel Hinge On Religious Pluralism?
Dec 4, 2019
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch spoke about the possibility of religion-state issues moving to the forefront in the next elections and how that could help repair some of the damage done too the Israel-diaspora relationship over the past decade.
NY Jewish Week: Aid Debate Rattles Pro-Israel Democrats
Nov 6, 2019
After expressing alarm at “the encroachment of anti-Israel sentiments in the Democratic Party” our Rabbi Hirsch told New York Jewish Week in an interview: “Just how widespread and deep the anti-Israel animosity is in the Democratic Party is hard for me to gauge. What is important is that we have a roadmap of what that kind of thing does in the long run — and that roadmap is the United Kingdom’s Labour Party.”
Jewish Insider: Biden blasts rivals for wanting to condition aid to Israel…
Nov 1, 2019
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch criticized some of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates for threatening to condition U.S. aid to Israel and for being “tolerant of voices that are opposed to Israel’s existence.” In a statement, Hirsch warned that the Democratic Party is going in the direction of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
Algemeiner: Prominent US Reform Jewish Rabbi Warns of Growing Anti-Israel Sentiments in Democratic Party
Oct 30, 2019
Responding to threats by several top-tier Democratic presidential candidates to condition U.S. aid to Israel, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reminded the candidates of the mainstream American Jewish and Democratic support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and expressed alarm at the encroachment of anti-Israel sentiments in the Democratic party.
Haaretz: ‘The Free United States Has Made Us Complacent, but Anti-Semitism is a Dangerous Virus’ (Hebrew)
Oct 13, 2019
On Rosh Hashanah Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch devoted his remarks to the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S. from both sides of the aisle. “Jews do something that no others do: we manage to unite the extreme right and the extreme left. They are on opposite sides of the political and religious spectrum on practically everything else, but fold into each other at the extremes – overlapping in agreement on their hatred of Jews.”
Mosaic: If Jews Don’t Speak Up for Themselves, No One Will Speak Up for Them
Oct 3, 2019
On Rosh Hashanah, our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch urged us not to lose sight of “the central Jewish principle [that] all Jews are responsible one for the other.” He says: in the face of the anti-Semitic threats that come from so many different directions — and which he goes on to analyze — Jews must not lose their sense of pride, or begin to see Judaism as a burden rather than a privilege.
NY Jewish Week: Rabbis Face New Year In ‘Harrowing Times’ Post-Pittsburgh
Sep 25, 2019
Rising anti-Semitism ison many spiritual leaders’ minds this first Rosh Hashanah since the attack that killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch said he will stress to his progressive congregation that the threat of anti-Semitism “comes from both the right wing and the left.”
The Times of Israel: With Israeli election looming, liberal US Jews set their ire on Netanyahu
Apr 5, 2019
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is hopeful that after elections next week Israel’s prime minister will help repair the country’s strained relationship with American Jews. He told The Times of Israel: “It’s important for the Israeli electorate to know how strongly we feel about certain issues.”
The Jerusalem Post: Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch Rebukes Netanyahu for Damaging Diaspora-Israel Ties
Mar 21, 2019
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch told The Jerusalem Post that the failure to address the conflict with the Palestinians and Haredi dominance over religious life in Israel has done “unprecedented” harm to the relationship between U.S. and Israeli Jews. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is coming to the U.S. for AIPAC’s annual policy conference two weeks before Israel’s elections, has presided over “the deterioration of this relationship,” Hirsch says. “It is important for the Israeli electorate to know about these issues and hear what is at stake when they go to the polling booths.”
Makor Rishon (Hebrew): Bypass: A new initiative to bridge the gap with American Jewry
Jan 20, 2019
The White House and the Israeli government are turning to Reform rabbis — and not the movement’s leadership — to create a direct dialogue with American Jews. A few months ago, Jason Greenblatt, President Trump’s emissary to the Middle East, visited Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and met with Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. Greenblatt presented the general direction of the Trump administration’s peace plan, and asked those present for their opinion. He also said that he and other senior White House officials listen to Hirsch’s sermons online in order to get a reading on the pulse of the liberal Jewish public.
Newsday: Women’s March sees drop in support over bigotry accusations
Jan 18, 2019
The 2019 Women’s March is expected to be smaller than the previous women’s marches to protest Donald Trump’s presidency. The event has been marred by accusations of anti-Semitism and homophobia against some organizers. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan, disavowed the march even though he said he agrees with the political aims.“The current leaders have steered the movement away from its true course,” Hirsch said in a sermon earlier this month. He said his synagogue would join the Women’s March Alliance event. “They have allowed anti-Semitism and anti-LGBTQIA sentiment and hateful racist rhetoric to become part of the platform.”
West Side Rag: Saturday: One of Two NYC Women’s Marches Starts on UWS
Jan 17, 2019
The third annual Women’s March in New York City — one of two being held — will begin on the Upper West Side on Saturday. The march this year has been roiled by controversy, stemming from accusations of anti-Semitism against leaders of the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue said “we are disassociating from Women’s March Inc.” because “its current leadership has distorted the values and thwarted the goals articulated on that amazing January day in 2017.”
Forbes: Clouded By Accusations Of Anti-Semitism, The Women’s March Loses Ground
Jan 17, 2019
As women across the U.S. are preparing to head to Washington, D.C., for the third annual Women’s March, ugly accusations of anti-Semitism have only been exacerbated by the refusal of Women’s March co-president Tamika Mallory to distance herself from the anti-Semitic statements of the Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York chose to unequivocally disassociate from the Women’s March, although he added: “We are not disassociating from the original goals of Women’s March.”
The Forward: Rabbis Torn About Women’s March, Despite Secret Meeting With Sarsour, Mallory
Jan 16, 2019
New York rabbis are grappling with the same choice as many other Jews across the country: to attend a march that espouses principles most of the liberal community agrees with, or to stay home in protest of the anti-Semitism allegations and lose the opportunity to build alliances with other minority groups in attendance. The prominent Reform Stephen Wise Free Synagogue announced that it was formally disassociating with the national Women’s March organization over the anti-Semitism issue and affiliating with the Women’s March Alliance instead. “They better represented the values that we thought we were supporting when we supported the Women’s March” in 2017, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch explained.
Metro NY: Everything you need to know about NYC’s two Women’s March events
Jan 16, 2019
National Women’s March leadership in Washington has come under fire after accusations of anti-Semitism stemming from ties between Women’s March co-president Tamika Mallory and Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has a reputation of anti-Semitic remarks. Some Jewish community members leaders have since said they won’t attend the Women’s March New York City chapter, instead choosing to go to the Alliance’s Women’s March On New York City. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side, said in a sermon that the synagogue was disassociating from the Washington faction.
The New York Times: How New York City Ended Up With 2 Competing Women’s Marches
Jan 16, 2019
Accusations of anti-Semitism against members of the national Women’s March leadership in Washington prompted Jewish organizations, civil rights groups and other local Women’s March organizations to break from them. “If you are sympathetic to those who are prejudiced against Jews, we cannot stand with you,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch said in a sermon at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side. At press time, the synagogue was disassociating from the Women’s March group and any events affiliated with it, and said it would hold a panel discussion sponsored by Zioness, a women’s organization, ahead of the January 19 Women’s March.
Jewish Insider: Why Stephen Wise Synagogue is now avoiding Women’s March Inc.
Jan 14, 2019
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch spoke with Jewish Insider about Stephen Wise Free Synagogue’s decision to disassociate from Women’s March Inc. and that join the 2019 Women’s March On NYC under the auspices of Women’s March Alliance.
JNS: New York Reform synagogue distances itself from Women’s March leadership
Jan 14, 2019
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue announced it has disassociated from the Women’s March amid accusations of anti-Semitism against a few of the movement’s leaders such as their association with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
JTA: Southern Poverty Law Center and prominent NY synagogue leave national Women’s March
Jan 14, 2019
As mounting accusations of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel advocacy roiled the national Women’s March movement, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch announced that Stephen Wise Free Synagogue would disassociate from Women’s March Inc., and that it would join the 2019 Women’s March On NYC under the auspices of Women’s March Alliance. JTA also mentioned Stephen Wise in another article about how the Women’s March named three Jewish women to its steering committee and in its guide to which local marches are and aren’t affiliated with the national group, and why.
Makor Rishon (Hebrew): ‘The Reform Movement is going through an anti-Zionist period’
Dec 1, 2018
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch criticizes the Reform movement’s leadership for taking anti-Israel positions, which deviate from the movement’s values and those of many of its members.
NY Jewish Week: Israeli Officials Let Down Guard On Trump, Kotel
Nov 7, 2018
New York Jewish Week Editor and Publisher Gary Rosenblatt writes about off-the-record conversations he’s had with Israeli officials about the growing rift in the diaspora-Israel relationship. He mentions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main concern for the future, which is, as he quoted our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, that: “Those who are not concerned with Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.”
amNewYork: After Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, New York rabbis plan message of healing, resolve
Nov 2, 2018
Still reeling from a Pittsburgh shooting that left 11 people dead and several more injured, rabbis across New York City are preparing for Shabbat this week, grappling to find ways to help their congregations process their grief and stand strong for the future. “The way Jews process grief is always communally,” our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch told amNewYork. “I think they will show up more than regular weekly Shabbat because I feel they will feel they need it, that they need some kind of communal spiritual gathering, simply to be with other people.”
Associated Press: Israel defends Trump amid synagogue shooting criticism
Oct 31, 2018
With President Donald Trump getting a cool welcome from the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, Israel’s envoy to the memorial ceremonies for the synagogue shooting victims came to his defense, saying it was “unfair and wrong” to link him to the tragedy. Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s relations with American Jews, said the Israeli government mishandled its response to the Pittsburgh shooting: “What the Israelis should have done is express unity with the Jewish community, unity with American society … and stand in solidarity. That’s all.” This story was picked up by The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other outlets.
amNewYork: Pittsburgh synagogue massacre unites New Yorkers against hate
Oct 28, 2018
Following the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, members of the Jewish community gathered at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue for a concert commemorating the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. There, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discussed what he felt was a rise in anti-Semitism and hate speech that stems, at least in part, from the rhetoric of President Trump: “Obviously, the tone starts at the top. You cannot isolate intolerant speech on any particular community. If you direct harsh, coarse rhetoric toward a certain group — say Mexicans — it infects our entire society and it gives license to a coarseness and hoarseness of speech to the groups that are perceived as the ‘other.’”
NY Jewish Week: Trying To Bridge The Great Divide
Oct 26, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch weighs in on the difficulty incoming Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Isaac “Bougie” Herzog will have in bridging the growing chasm between Israeli and diaspora Jewry.
J-Wire: Israel is The Nation State of The Jewish People
Oct 25, 2018
At the Jewish Federations GA in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said what worried him more than the Western Wall was loss of Jewish identity outside of Israel. He cited an op-ed in JTA by our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch to illustrate his point: “In the modern world, those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.”
The Jerusalem Post: Reforming the Reform Movement
Oct 25, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch sat down with The Jerusalem Post’s editor in chief, Yaakov Katz, to discuss the state of the relationship between Israel and American Jewry, and the future of liberal Judaism in both countries.
The Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu Reaffirms Commitment to Demilitarized Palestinian State
Oct 24, 2018
At the Jewish Federations GA in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who wrote in JTA: “Those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.” Hirsch’s op-ed, adapted from his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, “From the Ghetto,” is here.
JTA: Netanyahu says he supports a Palestinian ‘state-minus’ controlled by Israeli security
Oct 24, 2018
At the Jewish Federations GA in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said what worried him more than the Western Wall was loss of Jewish identity outside of Israel. He cited an op-ed in JTA by our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch to illustrate his point: “In the modern world, those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.”
The Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu: Loss of Identity is Most Serious Challenge for Diaspora Jews
Oct 24, 2018
At the Jewish Federations GA in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who wrote in JTA: “Those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.” Hirsch’s op-ed, adapted from his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, “From the Ghetto,” is here.
Times of Israel: Blaming ‘ultra-Orthodox street,’ Netanyahu defends freezing Western Wall deal
Oct 24, 2018
At the Jewish Federations GA in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who wrote in JTA: “Those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.” Hirsch’s op-ed, adapted from his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, “From the Ghetto,” is here.
JTA: Non-Orthodox leaders downplay ‘backchannel’ delegation of rabbis that met with Netanyahu
Oct 23, 2018
Leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements in the United States downplayed the delegation of 20 rabbis, which included our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who were invited to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Haaretz: Fed Up With Critics, Netanyahu Opens Back Channel to Undermine US Reform, Conservative Leaders
Oct 22, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch traveled to Israel as part of a delegation of 20 rabbis to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. “Our movement is too narrowly focused on politics and religious pluralism, and not focused enough on what’s going to make or break our movement in Israel,” he told Haaretz. This article was also published in Hebrew here.
NY Jewish Week: Liberal Branches On Rise In Israel
Oct 16, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responded to a new study showing Israeli Jews are increasingly identifying as Reform or Conservative. “There is a huge unrealized potential,” Hirsch said, a “historic” opportunity for non-Orthodox streams of Judaism to strengthen their foothold in the Jewish state.
JTA: This is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism
Oct 5, 2018
In this op-ed based on his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, “From the Ghetto,” our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch writes about how the growing inclination among liberal Jews to de-emphasize Jewish distinctiveness is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism.
The Jerusalem Post: The 50 Most Influential Jews of the Year
Sep 9, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch was named one of The Jerusalem Post’s “50 Most Influential Jews of the Year.” “Hirsch is a charismatic and passionate Jewish leader, a strong advocate for Israel and a standard-bearer for liberal values, messages he is disseminating from his pulpit in New York,” wrote The Post’s Jeremy Sharon.
NY Jewish Week: Discord Forcing Rabbis To Choose Roles
Sep 5, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses the moral role of rabbis during these contentious and politically charged times: “A rabbi’s role is not to avoid upsetting people … but to speak boldly and publicly about our understanding of Jewish values. Since the way the community determines values is through policy, we have an obligation to participate in the public formulation of policy that represents our collective approach to social problems.”
YNET: ‘People turn to me, broken: Whats happening to our Israel?’
Aug 11, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses how recent events in Israel — including a controversial new nation-state law and the detention of a rabbi for performing a non-Orthodox wedding — are affecting the relationship between the American-Jewish community and Israel.
Yediot America (Hebrew): ‘People turn to me broken: What’s happening to our Israel?’
Aug 3, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses how recent events in Israel — including a controversial new nation-state law and the detention of a rabbi for performing a non-Orthodox wedding — are affecting the relationship between the American-Jewish community and Israel.
Mosaic Magazine: The Answer to the Israel-Diaspora Malady Lies Not in Better Organizations But in More Committed Jews
Jul 26, 2018
Mosaic Magazine asked our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, along with former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and MK Michael Oren, Elliott Abrams, and Allan Arkush, to respond to Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy’s thoughtful essay, “Can American and Israeli Jews Stay Together as One People?”
Maariv (Hebrew): The American-Jewish community has a hard time dealing with developments in Israel
Jul 25, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to a series of troubling events in Israel — including a controversial new nation-state law and the detention of a rabbi for performing a non-Orthodox wedding.
NY Jewish Week: For Liberal Jews, ‘Israel Has Lost Its Way’
Jul 25, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to a series of troubling events in Israel — including a controversial new nation-state law and the detention of a rabbi for performing a non-Orthodox wedding.
Makor Rishon (Hebrew): Disengagement plan: the Reform movement is moving away from Israel
Jun 3, 2018
Our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch criticized the Reform movement’s response to American recognition of Jerusalem: “Except for the extreme left, all the Zionist parties in the Knesset support the embassy move. The statement that was published does not represent me, and certainly not all members of the Reform movement.”
Al-Monitor: Can Netanyahu Scratch Americans from Jewish Roster?
Jan 17, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to friction between progressive American Jews and the Israeli government.
Jewish News Syndicate: Reform Movement Retreating From Opposition to Trump’s Jerusalem Decision
Jan 1, 2018
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is credited for challenging the URJ’s opposition to the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Religion News Service: Was Trump Right About Jerusalem?
Dec 19, 2017
A column by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin highlights an op-ed by Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch that urges leaders of the Reform movement to clarify their response to President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
JTA: My Reform Colleagues Were Wrong On Jerusalem
Dec 18, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch urges leaders of the Reform movement to clarify their response to President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Maariv: A Desperate Struggle: Benjamin Netanyahu Prepares for the Last Battle for his Political Life
Dec 17, 2017
A popular Israeli newspaper showcases Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch and his perspective on religious pluralism in Israel. (In Hebrew)
JTA: How a Kids’ Book on Palestine Ensnared This Manhattan Store in a Political Crossfire
Dec 4, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch talks to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about the synagogue’s stance towards a local bookstore that supported a controversial children’s book.
West Side Rag: Rabbis and Bookstore Owner Break Bread After Split Over Palestine Book
Dec 3, 2017
An article highlights the productive dialogue between our rabbis and Book Culture’s co-owners about the word “intifada” and the children’s book, “P Is for Palestine” — and showcases the bookstore’s statement against terrorism and the BDS Movement.
YNET (Hebrew): Why Does Israel Turn its Back On American Jewry?
Oct 10, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch elaborates on the theme of his Yom Kippur sermon in a popular Israeli news outlet.
New York Jewish Week: Reform Jews at Crossroads on Israel
Oct 4, 2017
In an op-ed, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch urges American Reform Jews to fund and support a stronger progressive movement in Israel.
New York Jewish Week: Rabbis to Tiptoe Around Trump
Sep 13, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch comments on his decision to address the Trump presidency in his Rosh Hashanah sermon.
New York Jewish Week: New ‘Portal’ on Jewish Learning
Aug 23, 2017
Our Religious School’s Portals program, which brings our experienced teachers to families’ homes for one-on-one learning, is featured.
Maariv: Netanyahu Proves He Does Not Care About American Jews
Jun 28, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is quoted in an article in a popular Israeli newspaper about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to halt a project that would have allowed men and women to pray together at the Western Wall. (In Hebrew)
New York Daily News: Why We Cannot Close Our Doors to Refugees
Jun 28, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch draws on the synagogue’s recent refugee relief mission to Greece and Germany and responds to President Trump’s travel ban.
New York Times: Bernie Sanders’s Criticism of Israel
Apr 19, 2017
“Don’t attack Israel, and Israel will not attack you,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch wrote in a letter published in the New York Times.
The Times of Israel: This Passover, Let Us Step Into the Shoes of the Refugee
Apr 6, 2017
“This year in particular, in the aftermath of a deadly chemical attack in Syria, Passover offers a call to action to all Americans to defend human dignity and uphold our common humanity,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch wrote in the Times of Israel.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Not Just Prayers
Mar 10, 2017
“Judaism is a faith that believes in action, in making the world a better place through policy,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch said in an article that highlights the synagogue’s recent social action work.
YNET: Ambassador Nominee Apologizes, As Rabbis Call for Fair Hearing
Feb 15, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to President Trump’s controversial pick to serve as US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.
The Times of Israel: Making America Great
Jan 26, 2017
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on the real meaning of national greatness.
City & State New York: Manhattan Borough 50
Oct 3, 2016
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is praised as “the borough’s most influential voice” for Manhattan’s more than 300,000 Jews.
