Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, a leading religious Zionist figure and the chief rabbi of the prestigious Har Etzion Yeshiva, passed away on Monday, aged 81. His funeral was scheduled to be held on Tuesday. Thousands were expected to attend. The rabbi, who lived in the community of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion, received the Israel Prize for Jewish religious literature in 2014, and a number of additional prizes for his prolific written work in Hebrew and English. Lichtenstein was born in Paris in 1933. His family fled Vichy France for the United States eight years later. Having settled in New York, Lichtenstein was ordained at Yeshiva University and studied under his father-in-law, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik. He received his doctorate in English literature from Harvard University. In 1971, he moved to Israel at the invitation of Holocaust survivor Rabbi Yehuda Amital to join him at the helm of Har Etzion Yeshiva. In 1960, he married Soloveitchik's daughter Tovah, and together they had six children. Lichtenstein was unique among his peers for his dovish political stance and his support of military service for yeshiva students.
Renowned religious Zionist rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein passes away
French-born and American-raised, Lichtenstein moved to Israel in 1971 to head the prestigious Har Etzion Yeshiva • The rabbi earned a Ph.D. from Harvard, won the Israel Prize for Jewish religious literature • Thousands expected at funeral.
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