Mauricio Balter
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Rabbi and Executive Director Mauricio Balter | |
|---|---|
Rabbi Mauricio Balter | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 16 July 1957 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Nationality | Uruguayan and Israeli |
| Spouse | Bilha |
| Denomination | Masorti/Conservative Judaism |
| Profession | Executive Director |
| Occupation | Rabbi and Executive Director |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Rabbi Zvi Graetz |
| Profession | Executive Director |
| Position | Executive Director |
| Organisation | Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami |
| Began | 2017 |
| Residence | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Semikhah | Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano |
Rabbi Mauricio Balter (born 16th July 1957) is the Executive Director of Masorti Olami, the international umbrella organization of the Masorti/Conservative Judaism Movement and MERCAZ Olami, the Movement's Zionist arm. As a representative of the Masorti/Conservative Movement, Balter is one of the 37 Directors of the Jewish National Fund and sits on the Education and Community Committee, as well as the Resource Development Committee.[1]
Biography
Rabbi Balter was born in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, in 1957 to a Zionist family. From a young age, he was involved in community life and Zionist and Jewish activities. He completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and education, and obtained another in Jewish studies. In 1991, he was ordained a rabbi at the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires before beginning his rabbinical career.
In the summer of 1995, he immigrated to Israel with his wife Bilha and their two daughters, where he settled in Kiryat Bialik. In early 2003, he completed a master's degree in Jewish thought at the University of Haifa.
Career
Rabbi Balter served as general director of the Sephardi community in Bogota, Colombia and director of religious affairs of the Salta and Tucuman communities in Argentina upon graduating from university. After receiving his smicha in 1991, he served at the Or Hadash community in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During this period he was responsible for supporting the many families of those killed in the AMIA Bombing, an attack on the building of the Jewish community in Argentina, taking care of spiritual services. He was the first director of the Masorti Movement in Argentina. In total, he was involved in public activity in South America for fourteen years.[2]
After immigrating to Israel in the summer of 1995 with his wife Bilha and their two daughters, he was appointed Rabbi of the Kiryat Bialik Masorti community. He held the position for fifteen years. Since 1997, he has coordinated with the Jewish Agency on the topic of Aliyah of Masorti/Conservative Jews from around the world, bringing five hundred families from Argentina between 1997 and 2007, around the years of the severe economic crisis of 1998-2002. [3] During the Second Lebanon War, he coordinated his congregation's state of Emergency and provided spiritual support to residents of Kiryat Bialik. In 1999, Balter was one of the first six non-Orthodox representatives to join a religious council in Israel, and took a seat in Kiryat Bialik. [4] In early 2003, he was elected president of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel, a role he held for six terms. . He is also a member of the Executive Committee member of the World Rabbinical Assembly. He was elected to the Zionist General Council in 2006 and served until 2012.[5] s
As Chairman of the Liturgy Committee of the Traditional Movement in Israel, he headed the team that prepared and conducted I and my prayers: an Israeli arrangement that was published in 2009.[6] In 2010, he left Kiryat Bialik and moved to Be'er Sheva, where he was appointed Rabbi of K. Eshel Avraham, the largest conservative community in southern Israel, serving the community until 2017.[7] Since 2017, he has served as Executive Director of Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami.[1]
Opinions
Balter has consistently supported declared LGBT ordination to the rabbinate, an issue that divided the movement throughout the 1990s and early 2000s: In 2006, when the move was made possible in the United States, no decision was made in Israel and the Schechter Institute continued to reject such candidates. After further voting, the issue was confirmed.[8][9]
In his view, he belongs to the liberal wing of Masorti/Conservative Judaism, which advocates an existentialist theology of perpetual relations between the Creator and the authors of the Scriptures.[10]
Honors
In 2020, Balter was honored by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America at their convocation. .[11]
Publications
Balter has written a number of articles for the public and has appeared on a variety of podcasts for example on the Spanish version of Can, an Israeli TV station.[2] He has been interviewed for his opinions on a variety of topics, such as pluralism and tradition,[12] and about the gap between Israeli Jews and the Diaspora.[13]
References
- ^ "Rabbi Mauricio Balter". Keren HaYesod. Keren HaYesod.
- ^ "Rabbi Mauricio Balter, Executive Director". Masorti Olami. 20 January 2014.
- ^ "איך נהפכה קרית ביאליק לחלום הארגנטינאי". הארץ. 25 December 2001 – via Haaretz.
- ^ Ain, Stewart. "Bill Won't Keep Non-Orthodox Off Councils". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com.
- ^ "Resolutions of the Zionist General Council Session XXXVi/3" (PDF). World Zionist Organization. World Zionist Organization.
- ^ "סידרו את הסידור". 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Father Piotr at synagogue celebration". Catholic.co.il. Catholic.co.il.
- ^ "Israeli Conservative Movement approves ordination of gay rabbis". Haaretz.com.
- ^ "Israel's Conservative Rabbinical Seminary Votes to Accept Gay and Lesbian Students". GLAAD. GLAAD.
- ^ "להאיר פנים- פאנל פתיחה 2/9.wmv" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "JTS Honors 45 Rabbis for their Dedication and Commitment at 2020 Convocation". Jewish Theological Seminary. Jewish Theological Seminary.
- ^ Jerozolimski, Ana. "Con el Rabino Mauricio Balter, Director Ejecutivo del movimiento Masortí Olamí". Semanario Hebreo Jai. Semanario Hebreo Jai.
- ^ "Mind the Gap". eJewish Philanthropy. 16 May 2018.
Category:1957 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Montevideo
Category:Uruguayan Jews
Category:Conservative Jews
Category:Uruguayan emigrants to Israel
Category:Uruguayan rabbis
Category:Israeli Conservative rabbis
Category:Zionists
Category:University of Haifa alumni