December 31, 2022

The International Rabbinic Fellowship mourns the passing of Rabbi Chaim Druckman z"l, a leading educator and spiritual guide of the national-religious community for more than half a century.

R. Druckman was known for his great warmth, devotion to his students and love for the Jewish people and served with distinction as head of the Conversion Authority of the State of Israel in the early 1990's, helping many immigrants from the former Soviet Union become part of the Jewish people. He was the founding rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hesder Or Etzion and was the head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and Ulpanot from 1996 until today.  In 2012 he was awarded the Israel Prize for his contributions to Israeli society and education.

R. Druckman was born in the Ukraine and escaped the Holocaust, eventually reaching the shores of Palestine in 1944. He became a close disciple of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook z"l and in the 1970's took on a leading role in the settlement movement of Gush Emunim. In the late 1970's and the 1980's he served as a member of Knesset and in various posts in the government before returning full time to his educational responsibilities.

May his family be comforted by the Almighty among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.