Shlomo Riskin

picture of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin  

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin was born in Brooklyn and studied at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn. He received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Soloveitchik of Yeshiva University. Rabbi Riskin also holds a Master Degree in Jewish History and a PhD from New York University.

At the age of 23, Rabbi Riskin became the founding rabbi of the Lincoln Square synagogue in New York. He was able to transfer the fledgling Conservative congregation into a vibrant Orthodox community with an extremely successful outreach program.

During the '60s and '70s, Riskin became a leader in the fight for the freedom of Soviet Jewry, and was the chairman of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. 

In 1983, Rabbi Riskin made Aliya to Efrat with his family, where he became and continues to be its chief Rabbi. Many of his former congregants followed him to Efrat over the years. In Israel, he has established many schools and institutions under the umbrella organization, Ohr Torah Stone. Students number in the thousands. 

He has been a pioneer of Jewish women's rights in the Orthodox world, and co-founded Midreshet Lindenbaum, a seminary for Orthodox women. He has also worked within Israeli society to further the rights of women, especially in the rabbinic sphere.