He always wanted to help his brothers, so he became a rabbi and then a military chaplain. Today, Jeff Ifrah advocates in a more complex arena, defending Orthodox Jews accused of federal crimes.
H
e always wanted to help his brothers, so he became a rabbi and then a military chaplain.
Today, Jeff Ifrah advocates in a more complex arena, defending Orthodox Jews accused of federal crimes
Jeff Ifrah never set out to be a lawyer — he regards the chain of events that led him to a legal office overlooking the White House with bemused satisfaction, as if to shake his head and wonder at the strange and marvelous Hand of Hashem. On the other hand, when he took an aptitude test in high school and his results indicated “rabbi or lawyer” as the most appropriate choices, he couldn’t figure out the juxtaposition. “Well, they’re both positions of helping people,” the counselor offered, and that has always been his driving motivation.
These days, after stints as a rebbi and army chaplain, Ifrah is still in the helping professions, representing clients (many of them Orthodox Jews) who have been accused of federal crimes. But more than just providing legal counsel, Ifrah is doing his utmost to educate the frum public on how to avoid breaking the law in the first place and thus prevent anguish and chillul Hashem.
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