Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Lore & Background

Born in Poland, Schachter-Shalomi was raised an Orthodox Jew as his family moved repeatedly to evade rising antisemitism in 1930s Europe. While awaiting a visa in an internment camp in Vichy France, he met Menachem Mendel Schneerson, later the seventh Chabad Rebbe. Ordained as a Chabad rabbi in 1947, he developed a deep interest in other faiths' spiritual practices and immersed himself in the counter-culture of the 1960s. He was eventually expelled from Chabad and founded his own organization, B'Nai Or (later P'Nai Or), which helped pioneer the chavurah and Jewish Renewal movements.

Schachter-Shalomi worked as a Hillel director and head of Judaic studies at the University of Manitoba from 1956 to 1975. In 1968, he helped found Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts. In the 1980s, he added 'Shalomi' to his name as a statement of his desire for peace. In the 1990s, he was part of a group of four rabbis who traveled to Dharamsala, India, to advise the Dalai Lama on preserving religious traditions in exile. He held academic positions at Naropa Institute and Temple University, and co-founded ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.

Reader's Guide

Schachter-Shalomi's significance lies in his role as a founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, which sought to revitalize Jewish spirituality by integrating ecstatic prayer, meditation, and contemplative practices. His innovations in worship—such as chanting prayers in English while retaining Hebrew structures and melodies, engaging worshipers in theological dialogue, and leading meditation during services—helped shape the chavurah movement and modern Jewish spiritual practice. His commitment to ecumenical dialogue, including advising the Dalai Lama on diaspora survival, and his openness to other faiths and counter-culture ideas, marked him as a bridge-builder. His legacy includes dozens of books on hasidut, ecstatic prayer, contemplative spirituality, environmental consciousness, and spiritual direction, as well as the ordination programs of ALEPH. He also championed feminism, full inclusion of LGBT people in Judaism, and the Gaia hypothesis.

Did You Know?

• Schachter-Shalomi was recognized as a shaikh in the Sufi Order of Pir Vilayat Khan in the United States and the Holy Land.
• He privately published what may have been the first English book on Jewish meditation in 1958.
• He added 'Shalomi' to his name in the 1980s as a statement of his desire for peace.
• In 2012, his book 'Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer' won a National Jewish Book Award.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, commonly called Reb Zalman (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014), was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecumenical dialogue." — Zalman Schachter-Shalomi "The First Step: A Guide for the New Jewish Spirit, with Donald Gropman (New York: Bantam Books, 1983), p. 74." — Zalman Schachter-Shalomi "I realized that all forms of religion are masks that the divine wears to communicate with us. Behind all religions there’s a reality, and this reality wears whatever clothes it needs to speak to a particular people." — Zalman Schachter-Shalomi "The December Project: An Extraordinary Rabbi and a Skeptical Seeker Confront Life’s Greatest Mystery, with Sara Davidson." — Zalman Schachter-Shalomi