Julius "Julie" Berman (born 1935) is an American attorney and
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
rabbi.
He is involved in many large Jewish organizations, many of them non-denominational, and has served in key leadership positions.
Early life and education
Berman was born in
Dūkštas
Dūkštas (; pl, Dukszty) is a city in eastern Lithuania, north from Ignalina, on the bank of Lake Dūkštas.
Notable people
* Charles Rappoport (1865–1941), militant communist politician, journalist and writer, who lived most of his life in ...
,
Lithuania and raised in
Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Henoch, a rabbi, and
shochet and Sarah Berman.
He first attended Yeshiva of Hartford elementary school, and was in its first graduating class.
He graduated from
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
History
The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and for ...
high school in 1952.
He then attended
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universi ...
, graduating from
Yeshiva College in 1956, and receiving ordination from the
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...
in 1959. He received his
Juris Doctor from the
New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...
in 1960, graduating ''cum laude'' and first in his class.
He received an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University in 1995.
Career
As a confidant of
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt"l, Rabbi Berman was, and is, instrumental in publishing "the Rav's" works. Professionally, he is a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter
Kaye Scholer
Kaye Scholer was a law firm founded in 1917 by Benjamin Kaye and Jacob Scholer. The firm had more than 450 attorneys in nine offices located in the cities of Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, New York City (headquarters), Shanghai, Palo ...
.
Organizations
Berman is a longstanding board member of RIETS, and is chairman emeritus of the board, having served as its chairman for many years. He has been president of the
Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany since 2014, and was previously chairman of its board. He has headed many national and international Jewish organizations, including the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is an American non-profit organization that addresses issues of critical concern to the Jewish community, and the state of Israel in particu ...
, the
Orthodox Union, the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the American Zionist Youth Foundation.
He served in a leadership capacity at the following organizations:
*
National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA)
The National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA) is a voluntary association of attorneys whose purpose is to represent the observant Jewish community on legal, legislative, and public-affairs matters.
It was founded by Dr. Marvi ...
*
OU - Orthodox Union - Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America
*
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is an American non-profit organization that addresses issues of critical concern to the Jewish community, and the state of Israel in particu ...
* American Zionist Youth Foundation (AZYF)
*
Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA); president from 1989 until merger to 70 Faces
* Chairman of the Board, of the
RIETS - Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and the Claims Conference - the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Personal life
Berman is married to Dorothy "Dotty" Berman, a graduate of the
Stern College for Women
The Stern College for Women (SCW) is the undergraduate women's college of arts and sciences of Yeshiva University. It is located at the university's Israel Henry Beren Campus in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan.
The college provides progra ...
and
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
The Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology is a division of Yeshiva University. Along with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, it is located at the Louis E. and Doris Rousso Community Health Center on Yeshiva University’s Jack and Pearl Resni ...
.
They have three children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His Yiddish name is Yudl.
Berman's nephew is
Ari Berman, President of
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universi ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Julius
Living people
Leaders of organizations
American lawyers
Yeshiva University alumni
New York University School of Law alumni
American Orthodox rabbis
Kaye Scholer partners
21st-century American Jews
1935 births