Angel, Marc D. 1945–

(Marc Dwight Angel)

PERSONAL: Born July 25, 1945, in Seattle, WA; son of Victor B. and Rachel Angel; married Gilda Schuchalter (a freelance writer), August 23, 1967; children: Jeffrey, Ronda, Elana. Education: Yeshiva College, B.A., 1967; Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, ordination, 1970; Yeshiva University, M.S., 1970, Ph. D., 1975; City College of the City University of New York, M.A., 1970.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Office—Shearith Israel, 8 W. 70th St., New York, NY 10023. Agent—Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, 420 E. 72nd St., New York, NY 10021.

CAREER: Shearith Israel (synagogue), New York, NY, rabbi, 1969–. Member of governing boards of National Child Labor Committee, Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, and Union of Sephardic Congregations. Member, Rabbinical Council of America.

WRITINGS:

The Jews of Rhodes: The History of a Sephardic Community, Sepher-Hermon Press (Brooklyn, NY), 1978.

La America: The Sephardic Experience in the United States, 1981.

The Rhythms of Jewish Living, Sepher-Hermon Press (Brooklyn, NY), 1986.

Voices in Exile: A Study in Sephardic Intellectual History, KTAV (Hoboken, NJ), 1990.

(Translator) The Essential Pele Yoetz: An Encyclopedia of Ethical Jewish Living, Sepher-Hermon Press (Brooklyn, NY), 1991.

Sephardi Voices, 1492–1992: A Study Guide, Department of Jewish Education, Hadassah, 1991.

Seeking Good, Speaking Peace: Collected Essays of Rabbi Marc D. Angel, KTAV (Hoboken, NJ), 1994.

The Orphaned Adult: Confronting the Death of a Parent, Jason Aronson (Lanham, MD), 1997.

Loving Truth and Peace: The Grand Religious World-view of Rabbi Benzion Uziel, Jason Aronson (Lan-ham, MD), 1999.

But Who Am I, and Who Are My People? A Rabbi's Reflections on the Rabbinate and the Jewish Community, KTAV (Hoboken, NJ), 2001.

Remnant of Israel: A Portrait of America's First Jewish Congregation, Shearith Israel, Riverside Book Co. (New York, NY), 2004.

Choosing to Be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion, KTAV (Jersey City, NJ), 2005.

Losing the Rat Race, Winning at Life, Urim Publications (Jerusalem, Israel), 2005.

Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire, Jewish Lights (Woodstock, VT), 2006.

Rabbi Haim David Halevy: Gentle Scholar and Courageous Thinker, Urim Publications (Jerusalem, Israel), 2006.

Contributor to theology journals.

EDITOR

Studies in Sephardic Culture, Sephardic House (New York, NY), 1980.

Rabbi David de Sola Pool, Amiel Publishers, 1980.

Exploring the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchick, KTAV (Hoboken, NJ), 1997.

Haham Gaon Memorial Volume, Sepher-Hermon Press (New York, NY), 1997.

From Strength to Strength: Lectures from Shearith Israel, Sepher-Hermon Press (Brooklyn, NY), 1998.

Exploring Sephardic Customs and Traditions, KTAV (Hoboken, NJ), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: Marc D. Angel is an Orthodox rabbi who has served Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City since 1969. Shearith Israel was founded in 1654 and is a Spanish and Portuguese congregation by tradition. Angel himself is the grandson of Sephardic Jews who had immigrated to Turkey, where there was once a thriving community of Jews who had been expelled from Spain in 1492 and still spoke a medieval dialect of Spanish. He wrote about this community in his 2006 title, Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire, a "valuable historic journey," according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Using the example of the Ottoman community of Jews, Angel shows that the human spirit can overcome any form of adversity. A Bookwatch reviewer called it an "essential study for any who would understand the history of Sephardic belief and evolution."

Of his many written and edited works, one that well describes his beliefs as a rabbi and thoughts on Judaism on the whole is his But Who Am I, and Who Are My People? A Rabbi's Reflections on the Rabbinate and the Jewish Community. The book is designed to help readers better understand the duties and responsibilities of an Orthodox rabbi such as himself, while also addressing current issues of both Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews in America. While adhering to the laws of Orthodox beliefs, Angel is also "a strong advocate for pluralism, inter-denominational cooperation," according to Samuel Weingart in a Shofar review, adding that Angel "writes about himself and his rabbinical career with insight, passion, candor, and warmth." "Readers seeking to know more about Jewish life in today's society will find the book enlightening," reported George Cohen in Booklist, while Library Journal contributor Marcia Welsh called it a "welcome, well-composed look into the life and mind of an Orthodox rabbi."

Angel once wrote: "There are very few researchers and writers dealing with the experience of Sephardim—Jews of Spanish origin. My work attempts to fill this void. As rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in North America (founded in 1654), I am by birth and professional association deeply involved with Spanish Jews."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Polner, Murray, Rabbi, Holt (New York, NY), 1977.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2001, George Cohen, review of But Who Am I, and Who Are My People? A Rabbi's Reflections on the Rabbinate and the Jewish Community, p. 880; March 15, 2006, George Cohen, review of Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire, p. 7.

Bookwatch, July, 2006, review of Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality.

Library Journal, March 1, 2001, Marcia Welsh, review of But Who Am I, and Who Are My People?, p. 98.

Publishers Weekly, November 27, 2000, "January Publications," review of But Who Am I, and Who Are My People?, p. 74; October 17, 2005, review of Choosing to Be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion, p. 59; February 27, 2006, review of Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality, p. 58.

Shofar, summer, 2002, Samuel Weingart, review of But Who Am I, and Who Are My People?, p. 147.