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'''Manis Friedman''' (full name: '''Menachem Manis [[Kohen|HaKohen]] Friedman'''; {{lang-he|מנחם מניס הכהן פרידמן}}; born 1946) is a [[Chabad]] [[Hassid]], rabbi, author, social philosopher and public speaker. He is also the dean of the [[Bais Chana Women International|Bais Chana]] Institute of Jewish Studies. Friedman has authored numerous books, including ''[[Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?]]'', which was published in 1990 and is currently in its fourth printing. He is featured in the documentary films: ''The Lost Key'' (2014), ''The Jewish Journey: America'' (2015), and "[[Patterns of Evidence]]s" (2017).
'''Manis Friedman''' (full name: '''Menachem Manis [[Kohen|HaKohen]] Friedman'''; {{lang-he|מנחם מניס הכהן פרידמן}}; born 1946) is a [[Hassid]], rabbi, author, social philosopher and public speaker. He is also the dean of the [[Bais Chana Women International|Bais Chana]] Institute of Jewish Studies. Friedman authored ''[[Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?]]'', which was published in 1990 and is currently in its fourth printing. He is featured in the documentary films: ''The Lost Key'' (2014), ''The Jewish Journey: America'' (2015), and "[[Patterns of Evidence]]s" (2017).


==Biography==
==Biography==
Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1946, Friedman immigrated with his family to the United States in 1951. He received his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbinical College of Canada in 1969.
Friedman in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1946. His father Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Friedman, was a son of Rabbi Meir Yisroel Isser Friedman, the rabbi in Krenitz, or [[Krynica-Zdrój]]. Yaakov Moshe Friedman was later arrested and tortured by the Soviet Czechoslovakian authorities due to his work with the [[Vaad Hatzalah]], rescuing Jewish children from the Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fried |first=Avraham |date=1 April 2004 |title=Rabbi Yakov Moshe Friedman (1924-2004) |url=https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/133161/jewish/Rabbi-Yakov-Moshe-Friedman.htm |url-status=live |website=Chabad.org}}</ref> His mother is Miriam Friedman, a descendant of the [[Baal Shem Tov]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Posner |first=Menachem |date=14 June 2017 |title=Chassidic Matriarch Miriam Friedman, 101, Helped Holocaust Survivors Flee to West |url=https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3703672/jewish/Chassidic-Matriarch-Miriam-Friedman-101-Helped-Holocaust-Survivors-Flee-to-West.htm |url-status=live |website=Chabad.org}}</ref> In 1950, he moved with his family to the United States. He received his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbinical College of Canada in 1969.


===Career===
===Activities===
In 1971, inspired by the teachings of the [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson|Lubavitcher Rebbe]], Friedman as a [[Shaliach (Chabad)|shliach]] ("emissary") cofounded the [[Bais Chana Women International]], an Institute for Jewish Studies in [[Minnesota]] for women with little or no formal Jewish education.<ref>Bais Chana. 2005-2010. "{{cite web |url=http://www.baischana.org/content/view/13/124/ |title=Bais Chana International, Extraordinary Jewish Learning - About Us |accessdate=2010-05-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504094248/http://www.baischana.org/content/view/13/124/ |archivedate=2010-05-04 }}</ref> He has served as the school's dean since its inception. From 1984 to 1990, he served as the simultaneous translator for a series of televised talks by the Lubavitcher [[Rebbe]]. Friedman briefly served as senior translator for Jewish Educational Media, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jemcentral.org/|title=Jewish Educational Media [BETA]|website=Jewish Educational Media [BETA]}}</ref>
In 1971, inspired by the teachings of the [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson|Lubavitcher Rebbe]], Friedman as a [[Shaliach (Chabad)|shliach]] ("emissary") cofounded the [[Bais Chana Women International]], an Institute for Jewish Studies in [[Minnesota]] for women with little or no formal Jewish education.<ref>Bais Chana. 2005-2010. "{{cite web |url=http://www.baischana.org/content/view/13/124/ |title=Bais Chana International, Extraordinary Jewish Learning - About Us |accessdate=2010-05-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504094248/http://www.baischana.org/content/view/13/124/ |archivedate=2010-05-04 }}</ref> He has served as the school's dean since its inception. From 1984 to 1990, he served as the simultaneous translator for a series of televised talks by the Lubavitcher [[Rebbe]]. Friedman briefly served as senior translator for Jewish Educational Media, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jemcentral.org/|title=Jewish Educational Media [BETA]|website=Jewish Educational Media [BETA]}}</ref>


Friedman has lectured in cities throughout the US, as well as London, Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Johannesburg in South Africa, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and a number of South and Central American cities.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} In the wake of the natural disasters in 2004 and 2005, Friedman authored a practical guide to help rescue and relief workers properly understand and deal with the needs of Jewish survivors.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}
Friedman has lectured in cities throughout the US, as well as London, Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Johannesburg in South Africa, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and a number of South and Central American cities.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} In the wake of the natural disasters in 2004 and 2005, Friedman authored a practical guide to help rescue and relief workers properly understand and deal with the needs of Jewish survivors.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}


⚫
Friedman is the most popular rabbi on YouTube, with over 236,000 subscribers as of January 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://meaningfulpeoplepodcast.libsyn.com/rabbi-manis-friedman-youtubes-most-popular-rabbi#:~:text=Manis%20Friedman%20is%20a%20Chabad,Rabbi%20with%20millions%20of%20views.|title=Meaningful People: Rabbi Manis Friedman|year=2021|publisher=meaningfulpeoplepodcast.libsyn.com}}</ref>
Friedman has inspired controversy on numerous occasions, though oftentimes these are sourced in simple misunderstandings. On one occasion, Friedman implied that the moral way for Israel to fight its Arab enemies would be to "Kill men, women, and children", in a quote from the Bible. Friedman later clarified that his intention was not, as understood by some, that Israel should literally kill all Arabs.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Chabad rabbi: Jews should kill Arab men, women and children during war |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5062382 |website=Haaretz}}</ref>

⚫
According to Australia Jewish News, during a speech Friedman said that “Who in fact died and who remained alive had nothing to do with the Nazis,” and “not a single Jewish child died because of the Nazis … they died in their relationship with God". The statement, apparently, was not well-received by the audience.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacks |first=Timna |title=Survivors' outrage over US rabbi |url=http://ajn.timesofisrael.com/survivors-outrage-over-us-rabbi/ |website=ajn.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>

Friedman has published numerous books since the late 2010's, including ''Joy of Intimacy: A Soulful Guide to Love, Sexuality & Marriage'', and numerous education kids books, including ''Who Needs Me?.''

⚫
Since the late 2010's, Friedman is the most popular rabbi on YouTube, with over 434,000 subscribers as of February 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://meaningfulpeoplepodcast.libsyn.com/rabbi-manis-friedman-youtubes-most-popular-rabbi#:~:text=Manis%20Friedman%20is%20a%20Chabad,Rabbi%20with%20millions%20of%20views.|title=Meaningful People: Rabbi Manis Friedman|year=2021|publisher=meaningfulpeoplepodcast.libsyn.com}}</ref>


===Family===
===Family===
Manis Friedman is a [[Kohen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kehuna.org/list-of-kohen-families-chabad-and-affiliated/|title=Find-A-Kohen Listing|year=2013|accessdate=5 August 2015|publisher=kehuna.org}}</ref> He is the brother of the Jewish singer [[Avraham Fried]]<ref>IPC Media. 1996-2010. "{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/artists/avraham-fried |access-date=May 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702022233/http://www.nme.com/artists/avraham-fried |archivedate=July 2, 2010 |title=Avraham Fried Biography|website=[[NME]] }}</ref> and father of [[contemporary Jewish religious music]] vocalist [[Benny Friedman (singer)|Benny Friedman]]. He is also an uncle of Shmuel and Bentzy Marcus of the [[8th Day (Jewish band)]].
Manis Friedman is a [[Kohen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kehuna.org/list-of-kohen-families-chabad-and-affiliated/|title=Find-A-Kohen Listing|year=2013|accessdate=5 August 2015|publisher=kehuna.org}}</ref> He is the brother of the Jewish singer [[Avraham Fried]]<ref>IPC Media. 1996-2010. "{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/artists/avraham-fried |access-date=May 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702022233/http://www.nme.com/artists/avraham-fried |archivedate=July 2, 2010 |title=Avraham Fried Biography|website=[[NME]] }}</ref> and father of [[contemporary Jewish religious music]] vocalist [[Benny Friedman (singer)|Benny Friedman]].


==Views==
==Teachings==
Though not extensively published in book form, Friedman's teachings have been cited by many authors writing on various secular issues as well as on exclusively Jewish topics.
Though not extensively published in book form, Friedman's teachings have been cited by many authors writing on various secular issues as well as on exclusively Jewish topics.


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==Controversies==

===On the Israeli-Arab conflict===
Friedman has claimed that the moral way to fight a war is to "Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)," and that if Israel followed this wisdom from the Bible, there would be "no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war." After receiving criticism Friedman clarified that "any neighbor of the Jewish people should be treated, as the Torah commands us, with respect and compassion." Friedman later clarified that when he was quoting from the [[Torah]] he was not advocating to actually kill anyone, rather if Israel would threaten to do these things, it would scare its enemies and prevent war.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5062382|title=Chabad rabbi: Jews should kill Arab men, women and children during war|website=Haaretz}}</ref>

===On victims of pedophilia===
Friedman was quoted that survivors of child sexual abuse are not as deeply damaged as some claim and should learn to overcome their traumatic experiences. Friedman's comments were received poorly by advocates who saw his statements as trivialising the experiences of the victims.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/call-for-apology-as-rabbi-manis-friedman-likens-child-sex-abuse-to-diarrhoea/story-e6frg6nf-1226566273557|title=Call for apology as Rabbi Manis Friedman likens child abuse to diarrhoea &#124; The Australian<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1732523/Anger-brews-over-Rabbis-sex-abuse-comments|title=Rabbi Manis Friedman &#124; Sex Abuse &#124; SBS World News<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=2013-04-12|archive-date=2013-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429061024/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1732523/Anger-brews-over-Rabbis-sex-abuse-comments|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3680844.htm|title=Shock at Rabbi trivialising child sexual molestation|date=February 1, 2013|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2013/02/01/united-states/chabad-rabbi-sorry-for-inappropriate-remark-on-molestation|title=Chabad rabbi sorry for 'inappropriate' remark on molestation|date=February 1, 2013|work=JTA}}</ref> Friedman subsequently issued an apology for the offensive remarks.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/chabad-rabbi-apologizes-for-insulting-comments-on-child-molestation-1.501405 Chabad Rabbi Apologizes for Insulting Comments on Child Molestation] ''Haaretz'' February 4, 2013.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/112554/|title=Rabbi Manis Friedman, who downplayed damage caused by sexual abuse, apologizes [VIDEO]|date=January 31, 2013|website=Jewish Journal}}</ref>

===On victims of the Holocaust===
⚫
According to the ''Australian Jewish News'', Friedman, in a speech in the 1980s, framed the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] as part of a divine plan. Friedman reportedly stated “Who in fact died and who remained alive had nothing to do with the Nazis,” and “not a single Jewish child died because of the Nazis … they died in their relationship with God.” According to the paper, Friedman's statements were not well received by local Holocaust survivors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ajn.timesofisrael.com/survivors-outrage-over-us-rabbi/|title=Survivors' outrage over US rabbi|first=Timna|last=Jacks|website=ajn.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>


==Published works==
==Published works==
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* The Relief and Rescue Workers Guide to Judaism - a Rescue Workers Handbook
* The Relief and Rescue Workers Guide to Judaism - a Rescue Workers Handbook
* The Joy of Intimacy: A Soulful Guide to Love, Sexuality & Marriage
* The Joy of Intimacy: A Soulful Guide to Love, Sexuality & Marriage
* Who Needs Me?


== See also ==
== See also ==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Manis Friedman}}
{{Commons category|Manis Friedman}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.itsgoodtoknow.org/}}
* {{Official website|http://www.itsgoodtoknow.org/}}
* [http://www.chabad.org/k469 A collection of articles and audio classes by Rabbi Manis Friedman]
* [http://www.chabad.org/k469 A collection of articles and audio classes by Rabbi Manis Friedman]

Revision as of 20:42, 5 February 2024

Rabbi
Manis Friedman
Rabbi Manis Friedman in 2009
Born
Menachem Manis HaKohen Friedman

(1946-02-14) February 14, 1946 (age 78)
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Occupation(s)Rabbi, Dean of Bais Chana Women International
Known forDoesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?
Children14, including Benny Friedman
Websiteitsgoodtoknow.org

Manis Friedman (full name: Menachem Manis HaKohen Friedman; Template:Lang-he; born 1946) is a Hassid, rabbi, author, social philosopher and public speaker. He is also the dean of the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies. Friedman authored Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?, which was published in 1990 and is currently in its fourth printing. He is featured in the documentary films: The Lost Key (2014), The Jewish Journey: America (2015), and "Patterns of Evidences" (2017).

Biography

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1946, Friedman immigrated with his family to the United States in 1951. He received his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbinical College of Canada in 1969.

Activities

In 1971, inspired by the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Friedman as a shliach ("emissary") cofounded the Bais Chana Women International, an Institute for Jewish Studies in Minnesota for women with little or no formal Jewish education.[1] He has served as the school's dean since its inception. From 1984 to 1990, he served as the simultaneous translator for a series of televised talks by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Friedman briefly served as senior translator for Jewish Educational Media, Inc.[2]

Friedman has lectured in cities throughout the US, as well as London, Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Johannesburg in South Africa, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and a number of South and Central American cities.[citation needed] In the wake of the natural disasters in 2004 and 2005, Friedman authored a practical guide to help rescue and relief workers properly understand and deal with the needs of Jewish survivors.[citation needed]

Friedman is the most popular rabbi on YouTube, with over 236,000 subscribers as of January 2023.[3]

Family

Manis Friedman is a Kohen.[4] He is the brother of the Jewish singer Avraham Fried[5] and father of contemporary Jewish religious music vocalist Benny Friedman.

Teachings

Though not extensively published in book form, Friedman's teachings have been cited by many authors writing on various secular issues as well as on exclusively Jewish topics.

Friedman has been quoted in:

  • Shmuley Boteach, The Private Adam (2005) and Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments (2001)
  • Barbara Becker Holstein, Enchanted Self: A Positive Therapy (1997)
  • Angela Payne, Living Every Single Moment: Embrace Your Purpose Now (2004)
  • Sylvia Barack Fishman, A Breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community (1995)

In their autobiographies, Playing with Fire: One Woman's Remarkable Odyssey by Tova Mordechai (1991) and Shanda: The Making and Breaking of a Self-Loathing Jew by Neal Karlen (2004), the authors ascribe Friedman a role in their increasing religiosity.

Views on love, marriage and femininity

Two types of love

According to Friedman, the love between spouses must overcome the differences between the two parties, generating greater intensity in the relationship. By contrast the love between other family members are predicated upon the commonness the two parties share. Friedman further states that husband and wife, male and female, in essence always remain strangers; for this reason the acquired love in the relationship is never entirely consistent.[6]

Fidelity

On fidelity in marriage, Friedman is quoted stating "If you help yourself to the benefits of being married when you are single, you're likely to help yourself to the benefits of being single when you're married."[7]

Femininity

Sociologist Lynn Davidman interviewed a number of students studying under Friedman in 1983. She quotes Friedman saying that a woman "violates herself" if she were to refrain from having children and that birth control is a "violent violation of a woman's being". Friedman insisted that the teenage angst experienced by girls stems from the fact that they are already biologically and psychologically ready for marriage but their urges are held back; he believes that, in a perfect world, girls getting married as young as fourteen would be optimal, though that's obviously not realistic in today's society. According to Davidman, Friedman's position on femininity differed entirely from the values of his students.[8]

Controversies

On the Israeli-Arab conflict

Friedman has claimed that the moral way to fight a war is to "Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)," and that if Israel followed this wisdom from the Bible, there would be "no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war." After receiving criticism Friedman clarified that "any neighbor of the Jewish people should be treated, as the Torah commands us, with respect and compassion." Friedman later clarified that when he was quoting from the Torah he was not advocating to actually kill anyone, rather if Israel would threaten to do these things, it would scare its enemies and prevent war.[9]

On victims of pedophilia

Friedman was quoted that survivors of child sexual abuse are not as deeply damaged as some claim and should learn to overcome their traumatic experiences. Friedman's comments were received poorly by advocates who saw his statements as trivialising the experiences of the victims.[10][11][12][13] Friedman subsequently issued an apology for the offensive remarks.[14][15]

On victims of the Holocaust

According to the Australian Jewish News, Friedman, in a speech in the 1980s, framed the Holocaust as part of a divine plan. Friedman reportedly stated “Who in fact died and who remained alive had nothing to do with the Nazis,” and “not a single Jewish child died because of the Nazis … they died in their relationship with God.” According to the paper, Friedman's statements were not well received by local Holocaust survivors.[16]

Published works

See also

References

  1. ^ Bais Chana. 2005-2010. ""Bais Chana International, Extraordinary Jewish Learning - About Us". Archived from the original on 2010-05-04. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  2. ^ "Jewish Educational Media [BETA]". Jewish Educational Media [BETA].
  3. ^ "Meaningful People: Rabbi Manis Friedman". meaningfulpeoplepodcast.libsyn.com. 2021.
  4. ^ "Find-A-Kohen Listing". kehuna.org. 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ^ IPC Media. 1996-2010. ""Avraham Fried Biography". NME. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  6. ^ Lyman, Bari. Meet to Marry: A Dating Revelation for the Marriage-Minded Archived 2014-05-23 at the Wayback Machine. Health Communications, Inc. 2011. Accessed May 23, 2014.
  7. ^ Fishman, Sylvia Barack. A Breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community Archived 2014-05-23 at the Wayback Machine. UPNE. 1995. Accessed May 23, 2014.
  8. ^ Davidman, Lynn (1993). Tradition in a Rootless World. San Francisco, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07545-5.: 162–166 
  9. ^ "Chabad rabbi: Jews should kill Arab men, women and children during war". Haaretz.
  10. ^ "Call for apology as Rabbi Manis Friedman likens child abuse to diarrhoea | The Australian".
  11. ^ "Rabbi Manis Friedman | Sex Abuse | SBS World News". Archived from the original on 2013-04-29. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
  12. ^ "Shock at Rabbi trivialising child sexual molestation". www.abc.net.au. February 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "Chabad rabbi sorry for 'inappropriate' remark on molestation". JTA. February 1, 2013.
  14. ^ Chabad Rabbi Apologizes for Insulting Comments on Child Molestation Haaretz February 4, 2013.
  15. ^ "Rabbi Manis Friedman, who downplayed damage caused by sexual abuse, apologizes [VIDEO]". Jewish Journal. January 31, 2013.
  16. ^ Jacks, Timna. "Survivors' outrage over US rabbi". ajn.timesofisrael.com.
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