The Only Jew in the School
Rabbi Gavriel Rubin Age: 55
Neve Yaakov, Jerusalem
Stanford University– Major: Anthropology
Beit Midrash alumnus - 1982
Rabbi Gavriel Rubin grew up in Stewart, Oklahoma and was the only Jew in his public school class and, during certain years, the only Jew in the entire school. While at Stanford University, young Rubin became very active in the local Orthodox community. “I felt I should try everything,” he recalls, having grown up with no Jewish community in Oklahoma.
After graduating in 1982, young Rubin came to Israel to learn in Ohr Somayach for a year and a half. He went on to learn in additional yeshivot for six years before returning to Ohr Somayach as a staff member.
Rabbi Rubin has worked in editing and translation for almost 20 years. His works include letters, lectures, life stories, and writings of leading Jewish personalities. He is currently editing a book in Hebrew on Torah and Science. Rabbi Rubin says his degree in Anthropology was perfect for both his translation work and teaching at Ohr Somayach where he made Jewish ideas digestible to students of all backgrounds.
