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Rabbi
Avram Mlotek
Personal
Born1987
Manhattan
ReligionJudaism
SemikhahYeshivat Chovevei Torah

Avram Mlotek (Yiddish: אברהם מלאטעק, born 1987 in Manhattan, NY) is an American rabbi, social activist, cantor, writer, actor and slam poet. Mlotek is the co-founder of Base, a pluralistic home-centered outreach program, established in nine cities worldwide, predominantly for Jewish young adults.[1][2]

Early life

Avram Mlotek was born in 1987, in Manhattan, NY. His father, Zalmen Mlotek, is the artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene;[3] and his mother, Debra Cohen Mlotek is an occupational therapist.[4] He is the grandson of Joseph Mlotek and Eleanor Mlotek. He grew up in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, and also in Teaneck, New Jersey.[5] Mlotek's younger brother Elisha Mlotek is a filmmaker and founding member of the Hasidic jam band Zusha. Mlotek was influential in encouraging his younger brother to share his group's music with a wider audience[6]

Education

Mlotek received his BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University in 2009.[7] During his undergraduate career at Brandeis he contributed to organizations that addressed ethical issues as a Sorensen Fellow, in 2008.[8][9] He received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in 2015.[10][11] He also holds a Masters of Social Work from Fordham University.[11]

In the course of his education Mlotek studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence College, Islamic Scriptures at Bergen Community College, cantorial music at Yeshiva University, Talmud at Yeshivat Hadar, theater education at City College, and clinical pastoral education at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America.[11]

Career and social activism

To combat the rise of antisemitism in the United States after the 2016 U.S. presidential election,[12] Mlotek travels to sites of various anti-Semitic events in an attempt to raise awareness against antisemitism and offer spiritual support and prayer for survivors and affected communities.[13] He has published his experiences in Paris,[14] Pittsburgh,[15] Philadelphia[16] and Manhattan in various news articles. Mlotek himself was a victim of antisemitism by a Farrakhan supporter on a subway train during his travels in Manhattan.[17][18]

Mlotek announced in 2019 he would officiate same-gender civil marriage ceremonies for Jewish couples.[19] Orthodox Judaism erusin and kiddushin (Orthodox Jewish marital rituals) precludes same-gender unions through kiddushin[20][21] and Mlotek officiated a civil ceremony for a same-gender Jewish couple in 2020.[22][23]

Mlotek advocates for greater inclusion of multi-faith families[24] and other marginalized populations within Judaism.

On September 4, 2016, Mlotek co-officiated a wedding ceremony with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.[25] He used this public platform to advocate for greater gender equality within Orthodox Judaism, likening his cause to that of Justice Ginsburg who advocated on behalf of gender equality in the civil area;[26] Mlotek claimed "privileged" men such as rabbis must advocate for equality between the genders within Orthodox Judaism.[27]

Mlotek was listed as one of America's "Most Inspiring Rabbis" by The Forward in 2016.[28] He was named a "leading innovator in Jewish life" by the Jewish Week's 36 Under 36 Section.[29]

Mlotek currently serves as the Rabbi-in-residence of the JCC.[30]

In March 2021, at the behest of his former college professor, Mlotek, along with several other Jewish scholars held private sessions with known sexual abuser Steven M. Cohen. Cohen failed to fulfill his pledge to apologize to his victims and take responsibility for his abuse. These private meetings were condemned by the Association of Jewish Studies Women's Caucus raising concerns about the potential for re-victimization of survivors of sexual abuse by Cohen. Mlotek justified his role in these meetings, saying that he felt obligated to go because he was invited by his former college professor.[31]

Media and performance

Mlotek has performed on the Yiddish stage since the age of three, most notably in the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's Off-Broadway Family show, Kids and Yiddish,[32] in which he appeared for several seasons and is featured on their original cast album, Kids and Yiddish, A Musical Adventure.

Mlotek has also performed in staged readings for the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene including Chaim Grade's My Mother's Sabbath Days,[33] H. Leyvick's The Wedding in Fernvald,[34] H. Leyvick's The Miracle of the Ghetto[35] and Paddy Chayefsky's The Tenth Man (in Yiddish).[36]

In April 2020 during COVID-19, Mlotek organized The Third Seder, An Online International Celebration of Yiddish Culture which featured some of the leading Klezmer performing artists in a benefit program for The United Community Services of Westchester.[37][38]

In October 2020, Mlotek co-directed and produced Kids and Yiddish: The Reunion Special, along with brother Elisha Mlotek for The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.[39]

In March 2021, Mlotek organized the second annual The Third Seder, A Yiddish Passover Celebration[40] through the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan with lead sponsorship from The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. It was also co-sponsored by over 20 Yiddish cultural organizations, with 30 participants from across the globe.

Mlotek has authored the book "Why Jews Do That or 30 Questions Your Rabbi Never Answered" in 2020.[41] His writing has been published in various outlets, including The New York Times,[42] The Los Angeles Times,[43] The New York Daily News,[44] The Forward,[45] Haaretz,[46] Tablet[47] and The New York Jewish Week.[48]

Mlotek performed vocals for the documentary "Harbor From the Holocaust," featuring world renowned Cellist Yo-Yo Ma.[49] Mlotek performed for several Klezmer CDs including The Klezmatics,[50] Oy Vey Chanukah for Kids,[51] Di Grine Katchke,[52] and others.

Mlotek has recently published the book "Passover in a Pandemic" (Ben Yehuda 2021).[53]

References

  1. ^ "Avram Mlotek". April 13, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2020."MNHTN | Base". basehillel.org. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "What?". Base. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  3. ^ Connections, GoldenLand Concerts &. "Zalmen Mlotek | GoldenLand Concerts & Connections". Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Student Awards". Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. March 12, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "Avram Mlotek". Office of Innovation, Hillel International. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Wojno, Rebecca (December 7, 2014). "Wordless melodies to soothe the soul. Times of Israel. timesofisrael.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "Avram Mlotek". Base. June 18, 2015. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  8. ^ "Sorensen Fellowship Internship Summaries – 2008". Brandeis University, International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. www.brandeis.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Reflections: 20 Years of Sorensen Fellows | Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Staff, JLNJ. "Teaneck's Avram Mlotek to Receive YCT Ordination". jewishlinknj.com. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Avram Mlotek". Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT). April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Lovett, Ian (December 17, 2019). "Rise in Anti-Semitic Incidents Goes Beyond Recent Violent Attacks". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Mlotek, Avram (April 5, 2018). "Paris, When It Mourns – And Fights Hatred". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Mlotek, Avram (April 5, 2018). "Paris, When It Mourns – And Fights Hatred". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  15. ^ McCausland, Phil; Johnson, Alex (October 28, 2018). "Thousands turn out in a cold rain to proclaim: Don't be scared to be Jewish". NBC News. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  16. ^ Mlotek, Avram (March 7, 2017). "What Cemetery Vandals Couldn't Anticipate". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  17. ^ "Farrakhan's hate speech leads to actual abuse of Jews. I just experienced it | Opinion". Haaretz. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  18. ^ Mikelionis, Lukas (November 3, 2018). "Facebook says it 'mistakenly' removed rabbi's story about harassment by Farrakhan supporters". Fox News. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "I'm an rabbi who is going to start officiating LGBTQ weddings. Here's why". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ "Orthodox Response to Same-Sex Marriage". OU Advocacy Center. June 5, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Statement on Orthodoxy". Coalition for Jewish Values. December 13, 2020. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Cramer, Philissa. "After endorsing same-sex marriages, an rabbi performs his first". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  23. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan. "After endorsing same-sex marriages, a US rabbi performs his first". www.timesofisrael.com.
  24. ^ Mlotek, Avram (June 17, 2017). "Time to Rethink Our Resistance to Intermarriage". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  25. ^ "Missy Mlotek, Zach Schonbrun (Published 2016)". The New York Times. September 4, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Tribute: The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and WRP Staff". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "I co-officiated a wedding with Justice Ginsburg – and it exposed a tension in Orthodox life". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Avram Mlotek". The Forward. May 15, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  29. ^ Mark, Jonathan (May 22, 2012). "Avram Mlotek, Going back to the future". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  30. ^ "Avram Mlotek". April 13, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  31. ^ Dreyfus, Hannah (March 23, 2021). "Steven M. Cohen, shunned by academy after harassment allegations, makes stealthy comeback — and provokes uproar". forward.com. The Forward. Retrieved March 30, 2021. Rabbi Avram Mlotek, explained his decision to participate in a session last month this way: "Sylvia Barack Fishman was my professor at Brandeis and, as a rabbi, I talk to all different kinds of people, including former white supremacists." But Melissa Weininger, associate director of Jewish Studies at Rice University and a co-chair of the women's caucus at the Association for Jewish Studies, said attempts to create a "closed and secretive network to rehabilitate Cohen is really an attempt to reinscribe the power dynamics that are central to harassment behavior in the first place." Such action, she said, "re-victimizes his victims and creates a danger for the people in these spaces."
  32. ^ Graeber, Laurel (December 5, 2003). "Family Fare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  33. ^ Mlotek, Avram (October 4, 2011). "Being Chaim Grade". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  34. ^ "A Staged Reading of Di Khasene in Fernvald (The Wedding in Foehrenwald)". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  35. ^ "Past Performances". Amanda (Miryem-Khaye) Seigel מרים־חיה סגל. November 5, 2006. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  36. ^ BWW News Desk. "National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's THE TENTH MAN In Yiddish Sells Out". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  37. ^ Palmer, Joanne. "Wait. There's a third seder?". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com.
  38. ^ BWW News Desk. "Experience An All-Star Third Seder – An Online International Yiddish Cultural Celebration". BroadwayWorld.com.
  39. ^ "Kids & Yiddish: The Reunion Special". National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  40. ^ Dolgin, Josh (March 4, 2021). "Yiddish day school students will sing the Four Questions at this year's online Third Seder". The Forward. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  41. ^ Palmer, Joanne. "Why do Jews do that?". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  42. ^ Mlotek, Avram (September 27, 2019). "Opinion | Hearing the Shofar's Cry in the Jerusalem of Lithuania". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  43. ^ "Op-Ed: Google could use a little godliness". Los Angeles Times. July 16, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  44. ^ Mlotek, Avram. "A letter to an anti-Semite from a rabbi". nydailynews.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  45. ^ "Avram Mlotek". The Forward. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  46. ^ "Avram Mlotek". haaretz.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  47. ^ "Avram Mlotek, Author at Tablet Magazine". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  48. ^ "Avram Mlotek". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. May 22, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  49. ^ Behind the Music | Harbor from the Holocaust, August 3, 2020, retrieved October 29, 2020
  50. ^ "The Klezmatics – Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf!". Discogs. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  51. ^ Oy Vey! Chanukah!, Sisu Home Ent., 2000, retrieved April 23, 2019
  52. ^ "Music Review: Sheva Zucker: Di grine katshke". www.klezmershack.com. May 20, 1998. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  53. ^ "Passover in a Pandemic". Ben Yehuda Press. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
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