Saul J. Berman (born April 30, 1939) is an American scholar and

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Berman was ordained at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

, from which he also received his B.A. and his M.H.L. He completed a degree in law, a J.D., at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, and an M.A. in political science at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where he studied with

David Daube David Daube (8 February 1909, in Freiburg, Germany – 24 February 1999, in Berkeley, California) was the twentieth century's preeminent scholar of ancient law. He combined a familiarity with many legal systems, particularly Roman law and biblica ...

. He spent two years studying ''mishpat ivri'' in Israel at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

Career

Berman was the rabbi of

Congregation Beth Israel (Berkeley, California) , image = , image_upright = 1.4 , caption = , map_type = USA California Berkeley , map_size = 250 , map_relief = 1 , map_caption = Location in Berkeley , ...

from 1963 to 1969, of Young Israel of Brookline from 1969 to 1971. In 1971, following his departure from Young Israel of Brookline Berman was appointed Chairman of the Department of Judaic Studies of Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University. Under his leadership over the next thirteen years, it grew into the largest undergraduate Department of Jewish Studies in the United States. In 1984, he accepted the position as senior rabbi of

Lincoln Square Synagogue The Lincoln Square Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located at 180 Amsterdam Avenue between West 68th and 69th Streets in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1964, the physical location of the ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York where he served until 1990.Our Staff
Edah website. Accessed August 19, 2009. During those years, he spearheaded an expansion of the adult education program, the creation of an extensive social action program based on

frum Frum ( yi, פֿרום, , religious', 'pious) is a word that describes Jewish religious devotion. The term connotes the observance of Jewish religious law in a way that often exceeds its bare requirements. This not only includes the careful stud ...

commitments, the growth of the Synagogue's Women's Tefillah Group, and the creation of new outreach programs to the unaffiliated. In 1990, Berman returned to academic life, as associate professor of Jewish Studies at Stern College, and as an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar in Jewish Law. From 1995 to 1997, he served as Scholar in Residence at the JCC on the Palisades in New Jersey.

Edah

In 1997, Berman became Director of Edah, a new organization devoted to the invigoration of modern Orthodox ideology and religious life. Due to financial constraints, Edah was absorbed into the

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) is an Open Orthodox yeshiva, founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Currently located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, its mission is to educate and place rabbis who are "open, ...

, at which Berman took on an administrative position. He now serves as an associate professor at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

YU ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF JEWISH STUDIES
YU website. Accessed January 22, 2014. and teaches at Columbia University Law School."An Orthodox Choice"
San Jose Mercury News (CA) - September 30, 2000

Works

Berman contributed to the

Encyclopedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, lang ...

and is the author of numerous articles which have been published in journals such as Tradition, Judaism, Journal of Jewish Studies, Dinei Yisrael, and many others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Saul, J. 1939 births Living people American Modern Orthodox rabbis Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni New York University School of Law alumni Orthodox rabbis from New York City Tel Aviv University alumni UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Yeshiva University alumni 21st-century American rabbis