But in the world of the rabbinate: Rabbi Aryeh Stern, zt"l, rabbi of Jerusalem, member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, rabbi of the 'Mercaz HaRav' yeshiva and elder of the rabbis in religious Zionism - passed away tonight (Thursday) at the age of 81, after an illness.
The late zt"l was born on the 11th of Kislev 5755 in Tel Aviv to his father, Rabbi Asher Yeshaya, and his mother, Chava Leah, in a religious Zionist and Hasidic home. His paternal grandfather, Rabbi Raphael Stern, was the head of the congregation in Ungvar and was close to many Rebbes.
In his youth, he studied at the Yeshiva of the New Settlement, the Yeshiva of Hebron, and from 1964 at the Yeshiva of the Merkaz HaRav. In 1966, he won the Ministry of Religious Affairs Award for Torah writings. He later enlisted in the IDF and served for three months, and also served in the Paratroopers Brigade in the reserves during the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
In 1968, he married his wife Miriam Yocheved and together they built their home in Tel Aviv, where he studied at the Shevet Mi'Yehuda kollel for the training of dayanim, headed by the Gaon Rabbi Ephraim Borodiansky zt"l.
On Tisha B'Av 5700, following the request of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook, Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav, he founded the 'Halacha Berura and Halacha Clarification' Institute with Rabbi Yochanan Fried, Aviv Reich and others, which he has headed since its inception.
As head of the institute, the rabbi served as the editor-in-chief of the first and last summaries of methods on the issues of Shas.
In 1979, alongside his friends Rabbi Yigal Shafran and Rabbi Issachar Goelman, and with the blessing of his rabbi, the Rachi, he was a partner in establishing the Merhavim Institute for the training of teachers and educators in Kiryat Moshe, Jerusalem, where he was a board member. Rabbi Shaul Israeli and Rabbi Shlomo Men-Hahar taught at the institution.
Between 1983-1987 and 1989-2002, he served as the rabbi at the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, and between 1988-1909 he served as the head of the southern yeshiva in Rehovot. He also taught at the Or Etzion Yeshiva, at the Kiryat Shmona Yeshiva during its founding, from 1983-1904 he served as the general shiur maggid at the Kotel Yeshiva, and also taught at the Orot Shaul Yeshiva in Petah Tikva and the Hesder Aish HaTorah Yeshiva.
On October 22, 2014, Rabbi Stern was elected Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. Alongside him, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rishon LeZion Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, was elected. When he reached the age of 70, the Chief Rabbinate Council extended his term by five years, in accordance with its authority. His term ended on November 27, 2019, and attempts to extend his term were unsuccessful.
The deceased and his wife had seven children, including:
Yaqira - the wife of Rabbi Amotz Korztag, rabbi at Yeshiva Lantivot Yisrael.
Sarah - the wife of Rabbi Yitzhak Samuel, rabbi at the Jerusalem Yeshiva for Young People.
Rachel - wife of Col. (res.) Rabbi Yishai Eitan, chairman of the Mateh Binyamin Religious Council.
Rabbi Yehezkel - R.M. in the high yeshiva in Karmiel.
Shira A.H. - Killed in a car accident in 2007, at the age of 21.
Minister of Economy and Industry MK Nir Barkat, former mayor of Jerusalem for a decade: "I received with great sadness the news of the passing of the rabbi of the city of Jerusalem, Rabbi Aryeh Stern zt"l. The rabbi was a man of Jerusalem, a man of connections and Torah that unites all communities in Jerusalem.
The rabbi espoused a religious Zionist worldview that sees paramount importance in the connection between the Torah of Israel, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel.
I was privileged to lead his election to the position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem after many years in which no Chief Rabbis served in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Aryeh founded the "Halacha Berura" Institute, which was his life's work and will remain as a legacy of his important Torah work.
"I strengthen and embrace his dear family and share in their deep sorrow. Thank you, Rabbi Aryeh, for your work on behalf of Jerusalem.".
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