Rabbi Avi Weiss is an author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who formely served as senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (HIR). He is now the Rabbi in Residence of the HIR. Rabbi Weiss is the founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School and was the institution’s first President. He created Yeshivat Maharat, a Yeshiva to train women to be Orthodox clergy and co-founded the International Rabbinical Fellowship. Rabbi Weiss started the grassroots organization, Coalition for Jewish Concerns – Amcha, and is currently President. He has authored several books including, “Women at Prayer: A Halakhic Analysis of Women’s Prayer Groups,” “Principles of Spiritual Activism,” “Holistic Prayer: A Guide To Jewish Spirituality” and “Open up the Iron Door: Memoirs of a Soviet Jewry Activist. Rabbi Weiss has been listed on the Newsweek list of the most prominent rabbis in the United States numerous times.
