In Ramat Shlomo, Jerusalem, a rav schooled in the classic Yerushalmi school of thought has succeeded in building bridges with the elites of secular society. Son-in-law of Rav Moshe Halberstam, ztz”l, Rav Mattisyahu Deutsch is very much a product of his upbringing; he also espouses a broadminded approach, thorough knowledge of medical innovation, and appreciation for the differences underlying the segments of Israeli society. Rav Deutsch contemplates the experiences that have colored his own worldview.
At the end of the winter a diplomatic uproar rocked the world when leading American politicians referred to the beautiful Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo as an illegal settlement.
The irony of the situation was that the population of the disputed neighborhood — the so-called “settlers” — were for the most part oblivious to the entire affair. Ramat Shlomo or Reches Shuafat on the northern ridge of Yerushalayim is home to thousands of Torah-observant families most of whom are wholly unfamiliar with the breaking headlines of the New York Times. The relatively new neighborhood carries the name of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach a lover of peace and unity and it is a home to all sorts of Jews where one equally likely to hear chassidishe Yiddish Sephardic Hebrew or American English.
Appropriately enough the neighborhood’s rav is a man of great breadth possessed of encyclopedic knowledge and an appreciation for the diversity of his clientele.
In fact when I meet Rav Mattisyahu Deutsch rav of Ramat Shlomo in the beis hora’ah he established he proudly points out that the dayanim there include one chassid a Litvak a Sephardi and an American. He himself — the presiding rav — is a Yerushalmi and son-in-law of the great gaon and dayan of the Eidah HaChareidis Rav Moshe Halberstam ztz”l. As his father-in-law’s closest talmid and assistant Rav Deustch effectively became heir to a rich legacy of halachic direction and advice. That knowledge came along with responsibility to all the communities that make up Israeli society in keeping with his father-in-law’s mission.
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