Ezra Labaton

Ezra Labaton was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi and Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Sephardi Jews.

Heritage

Ezra Ronnie Labaton was born on July 21, 1950, in Brooklyn. His ancestry was of Sephardic Jewry, specifically Syrian Jews. He grew up in the Syrian [Jewish communities of the United States|Syrian Jewish Community] of New York.

Early years and Education

Labaton was educated at Magen David Yeshiva, an elementary yeshiva, and Yeshiva of Flatbush High School.
He attended Yeshiva University and Brandeis University.
During his years in Yeshiva University and throughout the rest of his life, Ezra was a student of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.

Philosophy and Works

Phd Thesis

The Rabbi's PhD Thesis, titled "A Comprehensive Analysis of Rabenu Abraham Maimuni’s Biblical Commentary" was submitted in 2012 to Brandeis University where he was awarded his PhD.

Congregation Magen David of West Deal

Rabbi Labaton served as the head rabbi of Congregation Magen David of West Deal from 1982 until his death in 2013. He was the first full-time rabbi hired by the synagogue, which was founded by Joseph M. Betesh shortly before.

Other affiliations

Rabbinical Councils

Sephardic Rabbinical Council
Halachic [Organ Donor Society|Halachic Organ Donor Society ]
Jersey Shore Orthodox Rabbinate
International

In 1975, while still a graduate student, Rabbi Ezra and his wife Emily Friedman went to South Africa, where they conducted seminars for Jewish children. In 1976, Rabbi Ezra and his wife worked to gather critical information on behalf of Soviet Jews in Russia.

Illness

The Rabbi was diagnosed in 1999 with colon cancer. He would fight through many cycles of treatment and recurrence as the disease spread, before ultimately dying in 2013 of advanced lung cancer. In 2004, after recovering from his third recurrence, The Rabbi cited his illness and treatments as having helped him excel in the pastoral aspect of his role as Rabbi. He said it allowed him to empathize and share with other sick people, in a way that he never before was able to. As part of his recovery, the Rabbi became an avid runner, as he ran 5 miles each night, as often as 5 nights per week.

Current news

A number of the Rabbi's students have set up and maintain , to help perpetuate his legacy through his teachings. The site contains hundreds of audio lectures, tributes, and other notes from his archives. They are also working to archive the contents of the Rabbi's personal library, which include thousands of titles of Jewish Academia, as well as his personal archives of speeches and lecture notes.