Simchah Roth | |
---|---|
Personal | |
Died | 2012 |
Religion | Judaism |
Nationality | Israeli |
Occupation | Rabbi and scholar |
Synagogue | WUJS Institute |
Simchah Roth (died 2012) was an Israeli rabbi and a scholar who edited the first prayer book of the Masorti movement. He advocated veganism.[1][2]
Roth moved to Israel in 1969, serving as the rabbi and resident lecturer of the WUJS Institute in Arad and later taught in the town of Yeroham. In 1989, Roth moved to Herzliyya, where he served as the rabbi of Torat Hayyim Masorti Congregation from 1989 until his retirement from that position in July 2007.[3]
Roth served as a member of the Herzliyya Mo'etzah Datit, the Municipal Religious Council. He also held several posts in the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel such as the Va'ad Halakhah (Law Committee), the vice-president and a past member of the Executive Committee. He has been the chairperson of the Religious Services Bureau of the Masorti Movement.[3]
Roth was the editor of the first Masorti prayer book, Siddur Va'ani Tefillati. He is known for his attempts to reconcile four characteristics in this prayer book namely - Masorti (Conservative), Israeli-Zionist, pluralistic, and innovative. According to the analysis of David Ellenson, Roth's prayer book claims that "the demands of the past are not absolute, nor is Jewish liturgical tradition frozen. The claims and sensibilities of the present are vital as well."[4]
Over the course of his career, Roth issued a number of notable rabbinic rulings.
In 2010, Roth argued that Jews should adopt a vegan diet, based on four arguments:[1]