Aaron Schechter


Aaron Moshe Schechter is an American Haredi rabbi.
Schechter is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and its post-graduate Talmudical division, Kollel Gur Aryeh. He also serves on the presidium of Agudath Israel of America.

Early life

Schechter was born in Brooklyn in the 1920s. He became a disciple of Yitzchok Hutner after being enrolled in the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin as a young child. He also studied in the Lakewood Yeshiva. His father belonged to the Young Israel movement and was befriended by Hutner who had arrived in America in the 1930s.

Disciple of Rav Yitzchok Hutner

Hutner chose Schechter for leadership positions in the yeshiva even prior to Schechter's marriage. Hutner encouraged him to write a rabbinic commentary on Maimonides, which he called Avodas Aharon.

Rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin

A number of years prior to his death in 1980, Hutner announced that Schechter and Yonasan David would serve as co-equal roshei yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. This was done when the yeshiva moved to its present location on Coney Island Avenue in 1966.

Agudath Israel and Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

After the death of Hutner in 1980, Schechter joined the nesius of Agudath Israel of America.
Schechter has worked closely with two other early disciples of Hutner on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Aharon Feldman of and Yaakov Perlow, the Rebbe of Novominsk, who was appointed Rosh Agudas Yisroel.
On January 13, 2015, Schechter resigned from the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah over a dispute regarding internal dissent in the World Agudath Israel affiliated Degel Hatorah. After the dispute was settled, he returned.

Personal life

Schechter married Shoshana Roisa Leichtung in 1954. She served as the Principal of General Studies at Yeshiva of Brooklyn's girls' elementary school for over 20 years. She died on August 4, 2016. They had two sons. One, Mordechai Zelig Schecter, serves as the mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. The other, Nosson Schecter, is a mohel. Their eldest daughter is Esther Yormark, teacher at Beis Yaakov Academy in Brooklyn. She is the wife of Shalom Eliyahu "Elyah" Yormark, who serves as the Second Seder Shoel Umeishiv for 12th grade and the 1st year of the post-high school program. Another daughter is Nechama Halioua, wife of Shlomo Halioua. Halioua serves as Maggid Shiur. The last daughter is Yehudis Senderovitz, wife of Yitzchok Meir "Itche" Senderovitz. Senderovitz is the Second Seder Shoel Umeishiv for the second and third years of the post-high school program.

Works