On April 28, 2025, the Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought welcomed the Honorable Mitchell A. Silk, former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury for International Markets, for an inspiring conversation on faith and public service. The event, co-sponsored by the Jay and Jeannie Schottenstein Honors Program at 麻豆区 College, was introduced by Rabbi Yonatan Kurz, rabbinic intern at the Straus Center, and moderated by Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, the Center鈥檚 deputy director.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Silk shared the remarkable path that took him from waiting tables at a Chinese restaurant to becoming the first Hasidic Jew confirmed to a senior role in a U.S. administration. He attributed his journey to two forces: relentless hard work and Divine providence鈥hishtadlut and hashgacha.
Silk鈥檚 early fascination with Chinese language and culture began as a teenager, when he took a job at a neighbor鈥檚 Cantonese restaurant to support his family after his parents鈥 divorce. That experience led him to study Mandarin at Middlebury and later in Taiwan, eventually earning degrees from Georgetown and the University of Maryland School of Law, where he studied Chinese law under Professor Hungdah Chiu.
His professional journey took him to Beijing University on a prestigious fellowship and later to Wall Street, where he began his legal career handling China-focused deals. Recruited to a firm in Hong Kong, he spent over a decade working on major energy and infrastructure projects, helping finance projects totaling over 20 gigawatts鈥攖wice the power needed to run New York City.
In 2005, Silk returned to the U.S. to open a China desk at a new law firm. After three decades in law, he was tapped in 2017 by the Trump administration to join the Treasury Department, where his expertise in China and infrastructure proved invaluable during the COVID-19 economic crisis. As Assistant Secretary, he helped shape U.S. global financial policy at a pivotal moment in world affairs.
Throughout his life, Silk emphasized, the key to success has remained constant: 鈥淣othing replaces hard work.鈥 While many high-powered law firm associates are expected to bill 2,500鈥3,000 hours annually, Silk routinely exceeded that benchmark, crediting his relentless discipline to his upbringing and values. Even more essential, he said, is seeing the hand of God. 鈥淲e choose to see it,鈥 he told students. 鈥淢y life story is pure hashgacha.鈥
Silk鈥檚 reflection on maintaining his religious identity in secular professional environments struck a chord. A resident of Borough Park for over 20 years, he noted that no matter where his work took him, he carried his community with him. 鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 know how to relate to me,鈥 he recalled. 鈥淏ut when it came to energy infrastructure, I was the smartest in the room. Eventually, they stopped focusing on how I looked鈥攁nd started listening to what I had to say.鈥
Silk shared a story about a pivotal moment during his tenure at the Treasury. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a critical meeting had been adjourned. Over the course of Rosh Hashanah in Borough Park, an idea came to him鈥攄uring Mussaf, no less. He wrote it down afterward and shared it with the team. The proposal was widely appreciated鈥攅xcept by then鈥揟reasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who quipped that he should repent for thinking about this on Rosh Hashanah!
Beyond his legal and government work, Silk is also a scholar of Jewish thought. He is the translator of the first complete English edition of Kedushas Levi, the classic Hasidic commentary on the Torah by R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1809). This is one of several translations he has produced in his Chassidic Classics series, with several others in the works.
A portrait of avodah and emunah, Silk鈥檚 life offers an inspiring model for integrating faith, intellectual rigor, and civic responsibility. In the words of Rabbi Kurz鈥檚 introduction, 鈥淗is journey reflects a life of dedication, scholarship, and service. We were privileged to learn from him today.鈥
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