At the age of 28 Rabbi Weingarten left Israel and the ultra-orthodox community and came to Germany. He studied “Jewish Studies” at the Free University in Berlin and at the University of Potsdam where he enjoyed the openness to ask questions and the freedom to develop academically.
Today he is the Rabbi of the liberal community ‘Migwan’ in Basel, Switzerland and of the “Jüdische Kultusgemeinde” in Dresden, Germany. In addition, he founded the “Besht Yeshiva Dresden e.V.” in 2020 that helps OTDs to integrate in the non-orthodox world while working on strengthening Jewish life in Dresden.
Weingarten is the only liberal rabbi who wears Hasidic dresses such as Shtreimel and Kaftan to Shabbat these days. In his sermons, he often uses Hasidic stories and explanations about the Torah, along with a liberal and up-to-date interpretation. He describes himself as liberal Hasidic.