Mama, Don’t Let Your Rabbis Grow Up To Be Cowboys
When Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb took the reins at the Orthodox Union in 2002, observers took note of the fact that the new executive vice-president of the centrist congregational umbrella group was fond of wearing a black hat of the sort popular in more religiously right-leaning precincts. Now that Weinreb is wrapping up his tenure, I’m left wondering whether his newly named successor, Rabbi Steven Weil of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, will wear a cowboy hat.
Granted, I have no evidence whatsoever that Weil actually wears cowboy hats. But the Lyndonville, N.Y., native is, apparently, something of a country music fanatic.
On Beth Jacob’s Web site, Weil’s biographical page reveals a set of interests that one wouldn’t necessarily expect from a leader of American Orthodoxy.
Among his favorite Web sites, he lists www.mesorah.org and www.yu.edu — nothing too unusual so far. But then, for his third and final choice, there’s this one: www.cmt.com. (For all you city slickers, that’s the site for Country Music Television.)
Then, under hobbies, he lists “The Rambam” and “country music.”
Given Weil’s taste in music, we shouldn’t be too surprised that when he turns east to Zion, he also sees another locale beckoning. Responding to the prompt “I will retire and live in..”, he answers: “Israel or Nashville, TN.”
So let’s all wish the O.U.’s next executive vice-president a big mazel tov — and a yee haw!
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
