Rabbi Israel Meir Lau

Born in Poland in 1937, Rabbi Lau spent the horror years of the Holocaust in the ghetto of Piotrokov, the labor camp of Czenstochov, and in the Buchenwald concentration camp. At the age of eight, he was liberated together with his older brother, Naftali (Lavie-Lau) after losing both parents.In 1946, through the efforts of Aliyat Hanoar Movement, Rabbi Lau immigrated, with a ship transport of refugee orphaned children, to Israel, where he grew up in his uncle’s home.

After many years of intensive study, he received his certification by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, and as a captivating teacher and orator, he became nationally known at many diverse schools, synagogues, army camps, university campuses, settlements, and in the mass media in Israel.

In 1971 he received his ordination and became District Rabbi of Northern Tel Aviv, In 1978 he published his well-known book in Practical Judaism, as well as a 2-volume work on Jewish Law & Medicine.

In 1979 Rabbi Lau was elected to the position of Chief Rabbi of Netanya, and in 1982, despite his relatively young age, he was appointed as a member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate. In this capacity he played a prominent role serving on the Committee for Medical Ethics.

In 1988 he was elected Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and in 1993 he unanimously won the election for Chief Rabbi of Israel. A forward-thinking and worldly communal leader, and charismatic speaker, he was chosen on the belief that he could bridge the gap between religious and secular Jews in Israel. In a well-known interview broadcast on Israeli television, Rabbi Lau’s famous words have been repeated again and again during the intifada, “Let’s sit down together, and let’s live together. We always knew how to die together. The time has come for us to know also how to live together.”