1. Michael Joseph Schudrich was born on June 15,1955 and is an American-Polish rabbi and the current Chief Rabbi of Poland.
13 Facts About Michael Schudrich
1. 2.
Michael Schudrich is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.
3.
Michael Schudrich's grandparents emigrated to the United States from Baligrod, Poland, before World War II.
4.
Michael Schudrich received Conservative smicha from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and later, an Orthodox smicha through Yeshiva University from Rabbi Moshe Tendler.
5.
Michael Schudrich served as rabbi of the Jewish Community of Japan from 1983 to 1989.
6.
Michael Schudrich has played a central role in the "Jewish Renaissance" in Poland.
7.
Michael Schudrich is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Conference of European Rabbis.
8.
Michael Schudrich has been a Polish citizen since November 3,2005, and now holds both American and Polish citizenship.
9.
On May 27,2006, Michael Schudrich was assaulted with what appeared to be pepper spray in central Warsaw by a 33-year-old man.
10.
Michael Schudrich hit back, and the attack on him brought condemnation from Polish media and politicians.
11.
Michael Schudrich had been invited to travel on the aircraft that crashed on 10 April 2010 near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people including Polish president Lech Kaczynski.
12.
Michael Schudrich refused as it would have violated the Jewish Sabbath, a decision which saved his life.
13.
In February 2018, Michael Schudrich entered into discussion with the Parliament of Poland with the hope of amending a proposed animal-rights law that would restrict kosher slaughter in Poland.