רעב. אסתר יונגרייז צי רעדען ביי קאנוועשן

REBBETZIN ESTHER JUNGREIS
INT'L JEWISH LEADER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
TO DELIVER CLOSING BENEDICTION
AT GOP CONVENTION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 31ST
World-renowned spiritual leader and author, the Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, has been tapped to deliver the closing benediction at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, August 31st.

Appearing on the same program as First Lady Laura Bush and California Governor Arnold Schwartenegger, the Rebbetzin's presence marks the first time that a Jewish female religious figure – and Holocaust survivor – has appeared in this role.

Known around the world as The Rebbetzin, a title which means rabbi's wife in Yiddish, the widowed Rebbetzin Jungreis is the descendant of a Hungarian rabbinic dynasty able to trace its roots back to the biblical King David. A staunch supporter of President Bush, the 68-year-old Rebbetzin is a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The Rebbetzin was in Hungary visiting the gravesite of her ancestor the Csenger Rebbe – known as the Miracle Rebbe, or Rabbi -- when she got news of the request to speak at the GOP convention. The prospect of speaking at the gathering brought her life full circle, she said. .''Only in America,'' was her first reaction.

''George W. Bush is the president of freedom and democracy,'' she stated. ''It was American soldiers, who together with the Allies liberated the concentration camps. George Bush has once again dispatched American soldiers to liberate the world from the grip of tyranny. The mission of America is to be the conscience of the world. Greater than hope is our triumph over evil,'' she said, riffing on a popular slogan of the Democratic party.

Rebbetzin Jungreis is the founder of Hineni, an international Jewish outreach movement. A petite yet powerful presence, her appeal is universal, cutting across denominational lines. She has inspired standing-room only gatherings at such venues as Madison Square Garden and the Johannesburg Coliseum alike. She has addressed the heads of nations, provided spiritual counsel to the United States Army and Navy and been the subject of articles in important publications around the world.

In addition to providing religious leadership, the Rebbetzin is intimately involved in the lives of tens of thousands of Jewish families, having helped to introduce marriageable men and women. She considers matchmaking a religious calling and will not take any monetary compensation for her services. Her most recent book, The Committed Marriage(HarperCollins, 2003), offers a compassionate and wise approach to choosing a life partner and sustaining a marriage even in these divorce-prone times, drawing on Torah principles. It has been widely translated.

Among religious leaders today, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis stands alone. A devoutly-observant Orthodox woman, she acts in a de-facto rabbinic role, providing counsel, teaching and leading. Men and women from many walks of life are among her devotees.

In these perilous times for the Jewish people, the Rebbetzin wears the mantle of the true Jewish leader and speaks out in an effort to awaken the conscience of the world regarding the dangers of tyranny and anti-Semitism.

Without question, she is the most important and influential Jewish woman leader today.

Back To The Garden For Jungreis

Jonathan Mark

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, the noted Torah teacher whose career was catapulted when she packed Madison Square Garden for a Torah revival meeting back in 1973, is going back to the Garden, tapped by the Republican Party to give the closing benediction on the second night of next week's convention.

''Everything is bashert,'' says the rebbetzin. ''Can you imagine? Isn't this terrific?''

She was cognizant of who and how much she represented: a child survivor of Bergen-Belsen, a rebbetzin, an immigrant, an Orthodox woman, a combination of which has never before been given such an honor.

''Once her name was raised, and it came up from several quarters, everyone thought she's be an inspired choice,'' said Michael Lebovitz, the Bush campaign's point man on Jewish outreach. ''She has an incredibly broad audience, observant, non-observant, Orthodox to secular.''

The rebbetzin's popularity — her singles lectures at Hineni, her Upper West Side organization, have drawn packed houses and much media attention — has spread far beyond her initial New York audience. A Hineni branch in Israel feeds more than 400 daily at a soup kitchen in Jerusalem.

And her books, such as 1998's ''The Committed Life'' and 2002's ''The Committed Marriage'' (both Harper Collins), have made her the darling of Christian columnists and Conservative talk-show hosts, such as Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh.

Rebbetzin Junreis taught Torah locally, and wrote a spiritual advice column for the Jewish Press. In 1972, speaking at a retreat for Young Israel collegiates, she tried to arouse the students from their passivity. ''I said, 'Do something! Take over Madison Square Garden for a day of Torah,' '' not that she really meant it.

A year later, with the help of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, ''there I was, teaching Torah in a packed Madison Square Garden,'' Rebbetzin Jungreis says.

The rebbetzin told The Jewish Week that she admired President Bush for being ''a man of faith, courage and integrity.'' She hopes God will inspire her with the right words for the convention Tuesday night, but she's considering a phrase from Psalms 29:11 and the siddur: ''God will give strength to his people. God will bless his people with peace.''