‘Real Talk’ with Rabbi Dovid Weitman of Sao Paulo

Real Talk with Hadassah Chen

Since 1979, when he moved from Belgium to Brazil as the Chabad representative, Rabbi Dovid Weitman has been serving Sao Paolo’s Jewish community, earning a reputation as a uniter and a builder.

Rabbi Weitman, born and raised in Antwerp, has gone through a Lithuanian Yeshiva as a young boy and then moved on to Chabad. He married an Italian woman from Milan, Sonia Zippel, and then was guided by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to move to Brazil and started their work with youth there.

Because of his knowledge of many languages, coming from a place like Belgium where the average person speaks about six languages, Rabbi Weitman was asked to take and lead the Sephardic Community in San Paolo for his knowledge of speaking French fluently. He took his place at the renowned Safra synagogue and since then has become a true leader of the community.

Most of the Syrian Jews speak French so that made it all very well worked out. I was very happy when he walked into the Arutz Sheva studio, never thought I was going to be able to see him physically here for an interview for he lives far away and is always very busy.

He strikes me right away as a very charismatic rabbi, with charm yet simple and quiet.

His eyes are deep and you feel you are talking to a very knowledgeable man, Rabbi Weitman shared with me in the interview that he tries now to dedicate as much time as possible to learning the deep aspects of the Torah and stressed the importance of also young couples who go out on Shlichut to set time aside to learning which is vital for their work with the people and the community wherever they might be in the world.

Rabbi Weitman spoke about his work with Ten Yad the incredible center they established to feed the poor.

This place has become much more than a soup kitchen but a real home for those who earn too little to provide for themselves not only food but also medical assistance, clothing, and some studying too. Rabbi Weitman comes to Jerusalem to be able to spend some time in-depth learning and meeting other prominent Rabbis, they have just published a book with some deep secrets of halacha and Kabbalah related to Brazilian Jewish history which Weitman became an expert.

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