Shmuley Boteach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shmuley Boteach (born November 19, 1966) is a prominent American Orthodox rabbi, radio and television host, and author. Boteach is a resident of Englewood, New Jersey.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Education and early career
Born in Los Angeles, California Boteach received his rabbinic ordination in 1988 from the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement in New York City, as a disciple of its leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Boteach's father was an Iranian Jew from Isfahan. [1]
That same year he was sent as a Chabad-Lubavitch shaliach (emissary) to become its representative for a student group with unofficial ties to Oxford University in England, where he founded the L'Chaim Society on the campus. The rabbi used the student organization as a forum for debate with a prominent array of public figures and celebrities including Natan Sharansky, Shimon Peres, Elie Wiesel, Michael Jackson, and many others. However, Boteach and the Chabad-Lubavitch organization in England did not agree on all issues regarding how to reach out to Jewish students at Oxford and the role of non-Jewish students; Newark mayor Cory Booker, a non-Jew, served as President of the organization for a period of time.[2]
Boteach was ordained by Chabad after studying at a Chabad yeshiva in Los Angeles and for three years at the Torat Emet Yeshiva in Jerusalem.[3]
[edit] Later career
Boteach achieved worldwide recognition from the publication of his bestseller, Kosher Sex.[4] Kosher Sex sold over one million copies worldwide, and has been translated into over 15 languages.[citation needed]
In late 1999, Boteach won the "Preacher of the Year" Award from The Times.[5]
He also publishes a weekly syndicated column for The Jerusalem Post. In 2005 he was awarded the American Jewish Press Association's 2004 First Place Award for Excellence in Single Commentary in Division A (newspapers over 15,000 circulation and magazines) for his article "Teach Your Children Well," in the World Jewish Digest.[6]
In 2007 Boteach placed ninth on Newsweek's list of the "Top 50 Rabbis in America"; its description stated "Boteach has been called 'the most famous rabbi in America' and his 17 books, TLC television series and celebrity friends help make that case. His book Kosher Sex introduced this Hasidic rabbi as a cultural phenomena."[7] In 2008 Boteach was again listed on the Newsweek list at number 9, and in 2009 was listed at number 7.
In 2007 Boteach founded the non-profit organization This World: The Values Network (www.thisworld.us) which seeks to disseminate Jewish values to the mainstream culture. In November 2007 Boteach was selected as one of five finalists, out of more than 230 applicants, for Brandeis University's Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation for his proposal based on the This World organization with a focus on disseminating Jewish values to the mainstream culture.
In 2009 Boteach's organization, This World: The Values Network launched a National Public Service Announcement Campaign to air on the Discovery Networks. The PSA campaign is for the 'Turn Friday Night Into Family Night' (www.fridayisfamily.com) initiative and encourages families to set-aside one evening per week to spend time together over dinner. Many prominent personalities have shown their support for the initiative and participated in the PSA campaign including Dr. Phil, Rachel Hunter and D.L. Hughley. Clips of the PSAs can be viewed on the Friday Night homepage at www.fridayisfamily.com
Boteach was also one of several individuals who received the 2007 Fatherhood award from The National Fatherhood Initiative.[8]
He has also been involved in radio broadcasting. Boteach joined the 'Oprah and Friends' XM radio network in January 2008, and his national program, 'The Rabbi Shmuley Show,' aired on XM channel 156 at noon and 5 pm EST throughout the week.
In addition, Boteach hosted his own series Shalom in the Home, a reality television program that used to air on Monday nights at 10:00 on TLC, where he facilitated family members to overcome their problems. The program debuted on April 10, 2006. A second season of the series debuted in 2007 and aired on Sunday nights.[9] Boteach is currently developing a new series with The Learning Channel.
Boteach's latest book, The Kosher Sutra, was published in January 2009 and reached best-seller status on Amazon.com while listing at number 1 among relationship books.
Boteach and his wife Debbie, have nine children. [10]
[edit] Bibliography
- Boteach, Shmuley (January 2008). The Broken American Male: And How to Fix Him. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312379247.
- Boteach, Shmuley. The Kosher Sutra, HarperOne Press, 2009
- Boteach, Shmuley. Parenting with Fire: Lighting up the Family With Passion and Inspiration. New York: New American Library, Penguin Group, 2006.
- Boteach, Shmuley. 10 Conversations You Need to Have With Your Children. New York: Harper Collins/Regan Books, 2006.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Hating Women: America’s Hostile Campaign Against the Fairer Sex. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Face Your Fear: Living with Courage in an Age of Caution. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
- Boteach, Shmuley. "Teach Your Children Well." World Jewish Digest, June 2004.
- Boteach, Shmuley. The Private Adam: Becoming a Hero in a Selfish Age. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Judaism For Everyone: Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith. New York: Basic Books, 2002.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Kosher Adultery: Seduce and Sin with your Spouse. Avon: Adams Media Corporation, 2002.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Why Can’t I Fall in Love: A 12-Step Program. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
- Boteach, Shmuley; Geller, Uri; and Chopra, Deepak (Foreword). The Psychic and the Rabbi: A Remarkable Correspondence. Naperville: Sourcebooks, 2001.
- Shmuley Boteach and Uri Geller. Confessions of a Psychic and a Rabbi. (Foreword by Deepak Chopra) Element Books Ltd (March 2000) ISBN 1862047243
- Boteach, Shmuley. Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments. New York: Doubleday/Random House, 2000.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy. New York: Broadway Books/Random House, 1999.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Moses of Oxford: A Jewish Vision of a University and Its Life, Volume One and Two. London: Andre Deutsch, 1994.
- Boteach, Shmuley. Dreams. New York: bp, 1991.
[edit] References
- ^ Stewart, Nikita. "A man on a mission: Cory Booker", The Star-Ledger, October 3, 2000. Accessed September 2, 2007. "'I knew him when no cameras were rolling,' said Boteach, who lives in Englewood and sees Booker frequently."
- ^ "Have Shtick Will Travel". Washington Post. April 4, 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/03/AR2006040301367.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
- ^ Keinon, Herb (via the The Jerusalem Post). "Orthodox equivalent of Dr. Ruth to dive into 'spicy sex' at MJCC", J., March 19, 1999. Accessed June 17, 2008.
- ^ Brecher, Elinor J. "RABBI SCHOLAR DEFENDS BOOK ON JOY OF SEX", The Miami Herald, April 12, 1999. Accessed August 1, 2007.
- ^ "In 1998, Shmuley entered the Preacher of the Year Contest, sponsored by the London Times (sic), becoming the first Jew to reach the final rounds. (He took second place; the next year he won.)" Soskis, Benjamin. "Who Is Shmuley Boteach?", Slate.com, March 29, 2001.
- ^ Simon Rockower 2004 Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism, American Jewish Press Association website. Accessed June 15, 2008.
- ^ "The Top 50 Rabbis in America", Newsweek, April 2, 2007.
- ^ "National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) awarded NBA star Allan Houston, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell, Dr. Walter Lomax, and Gunnery Sergeant Kevin Andrade with 2007 Fatherhood Awards today at the 10th Annual Fatherhood Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C." 2007 Fatherhood awards, National Fatherhood Initiative website. Accessed June 15, 2008.
- ^ Lipowsky, Josh. "Rabbi Shmuley goes global", Jewish Standard, March 29, 2007, accessed April 29, 2007.
- ^ Harper Collins Author Biography
[edit] External links
- Shmuley Boteach Official website
- Shalom in the Home Official website
- Oxford Judaism Contains some of Boteach's essays from his laters years at Oxford.
