Yitzchak Dovid Grossman

Yitzchak Dovid Grossman (; born 15 September 1946 in Jerusalem), also known as the "Disco Rabbi", and the scion of a prominent Hasidic family. His father, Rabbi Yisrael Grossman, served as rosh yeshiva of Pinsk-Karlin and of Chabad in Lod, and was a member of the rabbinical court of Agudat Yisrael. His mother, Perl (1923–2012), was the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Gutfarb, a teacher at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem. He is one of six brothers and four sisters. He grew up in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem and attended Yeshivas Karlin.

An alumnus of Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Grossman received rabbinical ordination in 1966. Grossman, looking every inch the Hasidic rabbi with his beard and sidelocks, embarked on a one-man campaign to rehabilitate Sephardi youth immersed in crime and drug use. He went straight to the pubs and discos where idle youth from distressed homes were hanging out and gained their trust with love and caring. In 1970 Israeli television dubbed him the "Disco Rabbi".

In 1969, one year after his arrival, the town unanimously elected him Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek, giving him lifetime tenure. At age 23, he was the youngest municipal Chief Rabbi in Israel.

In 1972 By its second year it had doubled in size. Migdal Ohr now enrolls over 6,000 boys and girls in 15 high schools and elementary schools and seven daycare centers occupying a campus.

Grossman has been offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Israel twice but declined both times in favor of continuing his outreach work in Migdal HaEmek. In another case, he let 700 members of the 8th Paratrooper Battalion use Migdal Ohr as their home base during the three weeks of the war, supplying clean clothing, new gear, and use of the recreational facilities. He also arranged a Hachnosas Sefer Torah ceremony for them and blessed them with safety and success. When the war ended, he invited all 700 In 2009, Grossman's attempt to mediate the ejection of the Israeli coach resulted in coverage in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and other papers.

Malka Leifer and Eliezer Berland affairs

In 2016, Grossman twice appeared before a court in South Africa to negotiate the release from prison of former Shuvu Banim Torah Academy school dean Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who later confessed to rape and assault.

In March 2018, Grossman testified for bail to be given in the case of former school principal Malka Leifer, who was at the time accused of rape and 74 counts of sexual abuse incidents at Adass Israel School in Melbourne. Leifer had been avoiding extradition to Australia. Leifer's husband, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (Jacob) Leifer, also fled to Israel with her, where he now heads the small Chust Hassidic community in Emmanuel, where his wife had been living and was arrested. On March 7, 2018, Grossman argued that it was a "humiliation" for Leifer to remain in custody while awaiting trial and she was released to his custody. A backlash ensued, and Grossman withdrew his support of Leifer, who was then imprisoned. Migdal Ohr claims child protection on its agenda, and the Israeli government is its major funder. Migdal Ohr also relies on substantial funding from foreign governments, nonprofit organizations, and private donors; the United States, among others, demanded that Grossman rescind support for Leifer. Fairfax Media reported that, according to sources interviewed, Grossman was aware of the allegations as early as 2012, and supported Leifer; "Rabbi Grossman didn't have a moral realisation", the source said. "He didn't issue an apology for the hurt caused". Leifer at the time was also awaiting trial in Israel for fraudulently claiming mental illness and incapacitation in order to avoid extradition.

Awards and honors Grossman accepts an award from Israeli Minister of Education Yuli Tamir, 2008.

In 1983 Grossman received the Love of Israel award from the President of Israel, Chaim Herzog. In October 1991 he was honored with the Tolerance Prize, presented by Knesset chairman Dov Shilansky at a special parliamentary ceremony. The Caring Institute named him International Humanitarian of the Year in 2009.

In 2013 Grossman was awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction by President of Israel Shimon Peres.

Family Grossman and his wife, Esther, have five children. He is the uncle (by marriage) of Rivka Holtzberg, co-director of the Nariman House Chabad center, who was murdered together with her husband Gavriel in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Gavriel's father is an administrator in one of the Migdal Ohr's elementary schools for girls.