Since the mid 1970’s, Rabbi Kalman Packouz has devoted a substantial amount of time and energy to preventing intermarriage including writing How to Prevent an Intermarriage.  He also founded one of the first Jewish Computer Dating Services in St. Louis in 1980.  People across the globe seek his advice on dealing with intermarriage situations, and thus the addition of the E-book version of his powerful and effective book, How to Prevent an Intermarriage will help even more parents who are facing this problem to communicate with their children.

Since 1992, Rabbi Packouz has been giving Jews the opportunity to connect to their heritage with his “Shabbat Shalom Fax”  …. drumroll please…. the fax machine was revolutionizing technology.  The same year he became one of the original bloggers and internet innovators with his online edition, The Shabbat Shalom Weekly (ShabbatShalom.org ).

Although many think the fax as going the way of the 8-track music recording, Rabbi Packouz still sends his insights into life, personal growth and Torah to 100,000 people each week – 30% by fax and 70% by email through out the Aish HaTorah network.

“Many people are so overwhelmed by the volume of email that delete emails that they would like to read; the Fax edition is hard copy, in your hands and gets read.  I always suggest that people get both fax and email editions – to ensure that they read it weekly and so that they can forward it to 250 of their best friends when they find something that is personally meaningful,” says Rabbi Packouz.

Born in Portland, Oregon, Rabbi Packouz was brought up in the Reform tradition. In his early 20’s, he met Rabbi Noah Weinberg, Zt’l, the founder of Yeshiva Ohr Somayach and later the founder of Aish HaTorah and made the transition to Torah observance.  Since 1974 Rabbi Packouz’s name has become synonomous with Aish Ha Torah as one of its first 5 students and then a leader in its growth and expansion.

In 1979 he received his smicah, rabbinical ordination, and started, with Rabbi Michael Willis, the first Aish HaTorah branch in St. Louis, Missouri.  From 1982-1990 he lived with his wife and 9 children in Israel, where he was Executive Director in Jerusalem of Aish HaTorah. In 1990, he returned to the states, to Miami, to be the director of the South Florida branch of Aish, and then to head up an office for the worldwide Aish HaTorah operation.

In 1996 Rabbi Packouz created the Aish HaTorah Window on the Wall Webcam, TheWall.org.  In addition to the 32 million people who have visited the site since then, hundreds of thousand, if not millions, who have sent notes from the site to be printed out and placed in the Wall.

Rabbi Packouz continues to write his Shabbat Shalom Weekly, develop the Aish Wallcam, teach and counsel and he serves as an adviser and mentor to the up and coming generations of Aish Rabbis.