Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Encyclopedia
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

nical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations.

The component words of the name are transliterated in a variety of ways. This is frequently done as Moetzet and less frequently as Gedolai and ha-Torah or ha Torah. The phrase is regularly shortened to Moetzes or The Moetzah.

Rabbis sitting on the various Moetzos are usually either one of the more prestigious rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

s ("heads") of yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

s or Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...

 Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

s who are also regarded by many ultra-orthodox jews to be the Gedolim
Gadol
Gadol or godol גדול , is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of their generation. These rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as by Litvish Jews...

 ("great/est") sages of Torah Judaism
Torah Judaism
Torah Judaism is an English term applied to a number of Orthodox Jewish groups to describe their Judaism as being based on an adherence to the laws of the Torah's mitzvot as expounded in Orthodox Halakha...

.

In Europe

Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, only one such body existed, the World Agudath Israel
World Agudath Israel
World Agudath Israel , usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism, in succession to Agudas Shlumei Emunei Yisroel...

 organization in Europe.

In the United States

The Moetzes of Agudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America , is a Haredi Jewish communal organization in the United States loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel.-Functions:...

 serve as religious decisors, leadership, and political and policy liaisons with state and federal government agencies on behalf of many American Haredi Jews. The council, consisting primarily of rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

s and Hasidic rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

s, directs Agudath's policies and leadership. Formerly known as the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, the body was started in 1941. It sets all major policies and guides the organization according to its precepts of Da'as Torah.

In Israel

The Moetzet (usually transliterated with an ending "t") of Agudat Yisrael likewise constitutes the Israeli Ashkenazic haredi community's religious policy leadership, and exercises strong control over political matters for strongly observant Israelis, such as joining government coalitions.

Prior to Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Haredi political party in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Yisrael under the name United Torah Judaism.-Ideology:...

's late 1980s break from Agudat Israel
Agudat Israel
Agudat Yisrael began as the original political party representing the ultra-Orthodox population of Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine...

 (because of the dominance of the Hasidic groups), there was only one Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah in Israel. With the breakaway (led by Rabbi Elazar Shach
Elazar Shach
Elazar Menachem Man Shach also spelt Eliezer Schach, was a leading Lithuanian-born and educated Haredi rabbi in Bnei Brak, Israel. He also served as one of three co-deans of the Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak along with Rabbis Shmuel Rozovsky and Dovid Povarsky...

), two separate, yet at times complementary, councils were created.

The Haredi Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...

 of Israel had also at one time followed the leadership of the Moetzet of Agudat Yisrael when it was still a body that spoke for most of Israel's Haredim. Eventually, however, the Haredi Sefardim broke with their Ashkenazi counterparts and established the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah ("Council of [wise] Torah Sages"), which in turn became the source for the formulation and expression of the policies and agenda of the Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...

 political party in the Israeli Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

. Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef became the main leadership figure of this council.

Past members

Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel" - the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin
Zalman Sorotzkin
Zalman Sorotzkin was a famous Orthodox rabbi. He is also known as the "Lutzker Rav", as he served as the Rabbi of Lutsk, Poland....

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter
Avraham Mordechai Alter
Avraham Mordechai Alter , also known as the Imrei Emes after the works he authored, was the third Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1905 until his death in 1948. He was one of the founders of the Agudas Israel in Poland and was influential in establishing a network of...

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Yisrael Alter
Yisrael Alter
Yisrael Alter, , also known as the Beis Yisroel after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1948 until 1977....

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter (Chairman)
Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter
Pinchas Menachem Alter
Pinchas Menachem Alter, , also known as the Pnei Menachem after the works he authored, was the sixth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1992 until his death in 1996.-Early years:...

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Elazar Leiner
Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel...

Rabbi Boruch Shimon Schneerson
Rabbi Yisroel Don Taub
Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel Twerski
Rabbi Binyamin Zilber
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
Levi Yitzchak HeLevi Horowitz was a rabbi and the second Rebbe of the Boston Hasidic dynasty founded by his father, Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz...

Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz was a respected Haredi Lithuanian Torah leader and rosh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, for over 70 years. He was a maggid shiur at Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion from 1940 to 2011 and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim from 1954 to 2009, raising thousands of students...

Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel
Nosson Tzvi Finkel
Nosson Tzvi Finkel may refer to one of the following roshei yeshiva in Orthodox Judaism:*Nosson Tzvi Finkel , of the Slabodka yeshiva in Kaunas, Lithuania, or his descendant,...


Current members belonging to Agudath Israel

Rabbi Mayer Alter Horowitz
Mayer Alter Horowitz
Grand Rabbi Mayer Alter Horowitz is an American chassidic rabbi, son of Grand Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, the previous Bostoner Rebbe, a scion of the Boston Hasidic dynasty. Horowitz is the rebbe of the Jerusalem branch of the Bostoner Hasidic dynasty...

, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Boston (Hasidic dynasty)
Boston (Hasidic dynasty)
Boston is a Hasidic sect, originally established in 1915 by Grand Rabbi Pinchas Duvid Horowitz. Following the custom of European Chassidic Courts, where the Rebbe was called after the name of his city, Bostoner Chassidus was named after Boston, Massachusetts...

 (Chairman)
Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter
Yaakov Aryeh Alter
Yaakov Aryeh Alter, , is the seventh and current Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he has held since 1996. He lives in Israel and has followers in Europe and the United States...

, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
Ger, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....

Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II)
Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II)
Yissachar Dov Rokeach is the fifth and present Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Belz. He is the son of Rabbi Mordechai of Bilgoray, the grandson of the third Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, and the nephew of the fourth Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Aharon Rokeach, who raised him...

, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Belz (Hasidic dynasty)
Belz (Hasidic dynasty)
Belz is a Hasidic dynasty named for the town of Belz in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border. The town has existed since at least the 10th century, with the Jewish community being established during the 14th century. The town became home to Hasidic Judaism in the early 19th century...

Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a village in present-day Ukraine.Followers of the rebbes of Vizhnitz are called Vizhnitzer chasidim....

Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Sadigura (Hasidic dynasty)
Sadigura (Hasidic dynasty)
Sadigura is a Hasidic dynasty, one of the branches of the Ruzhiner dynasty.The dynasty began with Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman of Sadigura now located in Ukraine, who was a son of Rabbi Israel Friedman of Ruzhin, the founder of the Ruzhiner dynasty....

Rabbi Chaim Shaul Taub, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Modzitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Modzitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Modzitz or Modzhitz is the name of a Hasidic group within Orthodox Judaism that derives its name from Modrzyce, one of the boroughs of the town of Dęblin, Poland, located on the Vistula River...

Rabbi Yochanan Sofer
Yochanan Sofer
Rabbi Yochanan Sofer is the Rebbe of the Erlau Hasidic dynasty, a small-sized movement in Orthodox Judaism. He was born in Erlau , Hungary, where his father and grandfather served as Grand Rabbis...

, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)
Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)
Erlau , also spelled Erloy and Erloi, is a Hasidic dynasty named for the town of Eger, a Hungarian city situated between Miskolc and Pest. During the early Middle Ages the town was named Erlau by the German, Avar, and Slavonic tribes living there...

Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Halberstam
Zvi Elimelech Halberstam
Zvi Elimelech Halberstam is the present Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Netanya, Israel. He is also known as the Sanzer Rebbe. He is the eldest son of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the first Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, who in his will divided the leadership of the Klausenburger Hasidim between his...

, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)
Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)
Klausenburg , also known as Sanz-Klausenburg, is a Hasidic dynasty that originated in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca , Romania....


Current members belonging to Degel HaTorah

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv (Co-Chairman)
Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of the Ponevezh Yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. Donated by Henry Krausher, it was originally established in the town of Panevėžys, Lithuania...

 (Co-Chairman)
Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg
Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg
Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg is a Polish-born, American-raised Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva who, since 1965, makes his home in the Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. He is the rosh yeshiva of the Torah Ore yeshiva in Kiryat Mattersdorf and Yeshivas Derech Chaim in Brooklyn...

, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of the yeshiva Torah Ore
Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach
Shmuel Auerbach
Shmuel Auerbach is a prominent Haredi rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel. He is regarded as one of the leading non-Hasidic Lithuanian poskim for Haredi Ashkenazi Jews living in Israel, whose views and declarations are regarded as authoritative...

, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of the Maalos HaTorah yeshiva
Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of the Ponevezh Yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. Donated by Henry Krausher, it was originally established in the town of Panevėžys, Lithuania...

Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of the Yeshiva Rashbi

Past members

Alphabetically:

  • Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
    Moshe Feinstein
    Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...

     (Chairman)
  • Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Friedman
    Mordechai Shlomo Friedman
    Mordechai Shlomo Friedman , sometimes called Solomon Mordecai Friedman, was the Boyaner Rebbe of New York for over 40 years...

     of Boyan
  • Rabbi Mordechai Gifter
    Mordechai Gifter
    Rabbi Mordechai Gifter was the rosh yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among the foremost religious leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the late 20th century. He studied in yeshivas in Lithuania and held several rabbinical positions in the United States of America.-Biography:Mordechai Gifter...

  • Rabbi Refael Reuvain Grozovsky
  • Rabbi Shlomo Heiman
    Shlomo Heiman
    Shlomo Heiman was a Rabbi, Talmudist, and Rosh Yeshiva of the most prominent yeshivas in Europe and America.-In Europe:In 1892, Reb Shlomo was born in Paritsh, Minsk in Belarus. His father was Rabbi Michel Heiman. When he was 12 years old, he went to Kaminetz yeshiva to study under R' Baruch Ber...

     (Chairman)
  • Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
    Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
    Levi Yitzchak HeLevi Horowitz was a rabbi and the second Rebbe of the Boston Hasidic dynasty founded by his father, Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz...

  • Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner
  • Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
    Yaakov Kamenetsky
    Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community....

  • Rabbi Aharon Kotler
    Aharon Kotler
    Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States, where he built Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.- Early life :...

     (Chairman)
  • Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman
  • Rabbi Eliezer Silver
    Eliezer Silver
    Rabbi Eliezer Silver was the President of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders...

  • Rabbi Gedalia Schorr
    Gedalia Schorr
    Rabbi Gedalyahu Schorr , also known as Gedalia Schorr, was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He was regarded as the "first American Gadol" , an expression coined by Rabbi Aharon Kotler...

  • Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
  • Rabbi Baruch Sorotzkin
    Baruch Sorotzkin
    Rephoel Baruch Sorotzkin was the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.Sorotzkin was born on February 5, 1917 in Zhetl, Lithuania...

  • Rabbi Yisroel Spira of Bluzhev
  • Rabbi Elya Svei
    Elya Svei
    Rabbi Elya Svei was the Rosh Yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia together with Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, and was internationally known for his incisive, brilliant and clear shiurim , and his ability to offer sage advice to thousands of Jews worldwide...

  • Rabbi Mendel Zaks
    Mendel Zaks
    Rabbi Menachem Mendel Yosef Zaks is best known for being the Rosh Yeshiva in Raduń Yeshiva and being the son-in-law to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim.Rabbi Zaks was born in Siluva...


Current members

Rabbi Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld
Rabbi Yitzchok Feigelstock
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein
Dovid Feinstein
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, son of the late Moshe Feinstein, is an acknowledged Torah scholar and halachic authority...

Rabbi Aharon Feldman
Aharon Feldman
Aharon Feldman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, Maryland. He has held this position since 2001....

Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky
Shmuel Kamenetsky
Shmuel Kamenetsky is a Haredi rabbi and co-founder and rosh yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is one of the best-known living Haredi Litvish Jewish gedolim outside Israel and the best-known son of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , one of America's greatest Torah...

Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler
Aryeh Malkiel Kotler
Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler is one of the Roshei Yeshiva, or Deans, of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey. He is the son of Rabbi Shneur Kotler who preceded him as rosh yeshiva, the grandson of the yeshiva's founder, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, and the great-grandson of Rabbi Isser Zalman...

Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levine
Rabbi Yaakov Perlow
Yaakov Perlow
Rabbi Yaakov Perlow is a Hasidic rebbe and rosh yeshiva living in Boro Park, Brooklyn. He is the current Novominsker Rebbe and serves as rosh of the American Agudath Israel of America, a Haredi communal organization...

 (Chairman)
Chacham Yosef Harari Raful
Rabbi Aaron Schechter
Aaron Schechter
Aaron Moshe Schechter is the rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and its post-graduate Talmudical division Kollel Gur Aryeh as well as of all the branches of the yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City that includes an elementary school and a high school for young Jewish boys, teenagers,...

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