Binyamin Shlomo Hamburger ( he, בנימין שלמה המבורגר) is a rabbi and author who is regarded as an expert on the subject of ''

minhag ''Minhag'' ( he, מנהג "custom", classical pl. מנהגות, modern pl. , ''minhagim'') is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, ''Nusach (Jewish custom), Nusach'' (), refers to the traditional order and fo ...

Ashkenaz'', the customs of German and Western European Jews, and their history. Born in Basel,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, to German parents, he currently lives in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...

, Israel. Having originally been educated in Eastern European Jewish and Hasidic institutions, he came to explore his family's heritage after learning more about the traditions observed by his ancestor, Moses Sofer (1762–1839), the rabbinical authority better known as the "Chatam Sofer" after his writings. He commenced his research in the 1970s, and in the late 1980s founded the research institute מכון מורשת אשכנז (''Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz'', Center of Ashkenaz Heritage) to further these studies. A number of communities affiliated with the Institute, in Israel and the United States, now follow the Ashkenaz custom. He is best known for a five-volume series of books titled שרשי מנהגי אשכנז (''Shorshei Minhagei Ashkenaz'', ''The Roots of Ashkenaz Customs'') and an introductory volume on the importance of adhering to the Ashkenaz custom. An English synopsis of the work appeared in 2010. He is also the author of the 1989 book משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם (''Meshichei Ha-Sheker U-Mitnagdeihem'', ''False Messiahs and their Detractors''), a historical work detailing many of the people who claimed to be the Jewish messiah, as well as a multi-volume work on the Yeshiva in

Furth Furth or Fürth may refer to: * Fürth (surname) * Fürth, northern Bavaria, Germany * Fürth (district), Bavaria, Germany *Fürth (electoral district). Bavaria, Germany *Furth, Lower Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany *Fürth, Hesse Fürth is a municipali ...

. A second edition of משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם was published in 2009; in the foreword Hamburger records the negative reception (including book burning) of the work by some groups when it first appeared.

References

External links

Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz

Excerpts from משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם

List of topics discussed in Shorshei Minhagei Ashkenaz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamburger, Binyamin Shlomo Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Orthodox rabbis Living people Writers from Basel-Stadt Swiss Ashkenazi Jews Swiss emigrants to Israel Swiss Orthodox rabbis Year of birth missing (living people)