Baltimore Hebrew University was founded as Baltimore Hebrew College and Teachers Training School in 1919 to promote
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
scholarship and academic excellence. It was the only institution of higher learning in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
devoted solely to all aspects of
Judaic
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, monotheism, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots ...
and
Hebraic
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
studies. Located in the northwest,
Park Heights neighborhood of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, BHU conferred degrees up to the
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
level. Though small in size, with classes having between 8 and 25 students, it had strong ties to the community and to several other local colleges and universities.
Baltimore Hebrew University merged with
Towson University
Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
, officially becoming th
Baltimore Hebrew Institute in 2009. The entire BHU library is now housed at TU's Albert S. Cook Library, includin
special collectionsof rare books,
Yizkor books
Yizkor books are memorial books commemorating a Jewish community destroyed during the Holocaust. The books are published by former residents or ''landsmanshaft'' societies as remembrances of homes, people and ways of life lost during World War II. ...
, a collection of items related to Jewish cultural reconstruction, and testimonies from survivors of the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
. The BHU building on
Park Heights Avenue was demolished in October 2009.
Notable faculty and alumni
*
Robert Freedman
*
Jon S. Cardin
*
Joseph M. Baumgarten
*
Barry Freundel
Bernard "Barry" Freundel (born December 16, 1951) was the rabbi of Kesher Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. from 1989 until 2014. Freundel was regarded as "a brilliant scholar," a "profound" orator and an authority in several areas of '' ...
[http://www.kesher.org/community/freundel_bio.shtml]
*
Steven Fine
*
Eli Velder
Eli Yehill Velder (November 9, 1925 – April 6, 2020) was an American academic. He held the endowed Dean Van Meter Alumnae Professorship of history and philosophy of education at Goucher College. Velder founded the education program at Gou ...
See also
*
List of Jewish universities and colleges in the United States
{{Dynamic list
Jewish universities and colleges in the U.S. include:
* American Jewish University, formerly University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute (merged), Los Angeles, California.
* Baltimore Hebrew University, now Baltimore Hebrew ...
References
External links
Official site of Baltimore Hebrew InstituteHirsch, Rona S. "Baltimore Hebrew University," ''Chicago Tribune'', August 29, 2002."Towards the 21st Century - A Recommended Strategic Plan for the Baltimore Hebrew University" Bainbridge, Jay. Baker, Sally. Meier, James. Meislin, Laura. Ukeles, Jacob B. Ukeles Associates, Inc., Baltimore Hebrew Institute. 1993
Jewish education in Maryland
Jewish universities and colleges in the United States
Jews and Judaism in Baltimore
Universities and colleges in Baltimore
Educational institutions established in 1919
Park Heights, Baltimore
1919 establishments in Maryland
Defunct private universities and colleges in Maryland
2009 disestablishments in Maryland
Educational institutions disestablished in 2009
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