Berger's most famous work

David Berger is a professor of history at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and a visiting professor at Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School. He has gained notoriety for advocating a purge of Chabad Hasidim from Orthodox Judaism. Inthe eyes of his detractors, he has "emerged as a would-be Torquemada on the Orthodox scene, demanding a policy of 'intolerance' and 'exclusion' toward those he deems to be heretical to Orthodoxy."[1] Image File history File links Berger. ... Image File history File links Berger. ... A professor (Latin: one who publicly professes to be an expert) (or prof for short) is a senior teacher, lecturer and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: History For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... Brooklyn College of The City University of New York Brooklyn College of The City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York. ... The City University of New York (CUNY; acronym usually pronounced kyoo-nee or coo-nee), located in New York City, is the largest urban university in the United States, with more than 198,000 enrolled in degree programs, about 20,000 enrolled in non-degree programs and more than 200... A professor is a senior teacher and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. ... In history and political science, to purge is to remove undesirable people from a government, political party, profession, or from community/society as a whole, usually by violent means. ... Chabad Lubavitch, also known as Lubavitch Chabad, is a large branch of Hasidic Judaism. ... Hasidim can refer to Saintly Pharisees Hasidic Judaism This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Grand Inquisitor Torquemada Tomás de Torquemada (1420 - September 16, 1498) was a fifteenth century Spanish Dominican, and an Inquisitor General. ...

Education

Berger received a bachelor's degree from Yeshiva College in 1964. He then went on to Columbia University where he completed a master of arts degree in 1965 and his doctor of philosophy in 1970. He received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Yeshiva College is the undergraduate arts and sciences college affiliated with Yeshiva University. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... Doctor of Philosophy, or Ph. ... Semicha (סמיכה) (meaning leaning [of the hands] in Hebrew) is roughly equivalent to the word ordination (in Hebrew: Semichut סמיכות) of a rabbi within Judaism. ... Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary or RIETS (Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan) is the most important yeshiva component of Yeshiva University. ... The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the worlds largest organizations of Orthodox Jewish rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU. History The roots of the organization go back to 1923 when...

Attack on Claims of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's Messiahship and Divinity

Rabbi M.M. Schneerson The seventh Rebbe [of seven] of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty was also named Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (with a h) Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994), referred to by his followers as The Rebbe, was a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi who was the seventh...

Summary

Berger, a veteran of defenses of Judaism from Christian missionaries' claims of Jesus' messiahship and divinity, began to attack similar assertions made by religious leaders of the Jewish Chabad movement shortly after Schneerson's reported passing in 1993. Berger claimed that such assertions could not be squared with traditional Jewish texts. An example of Berger's prooftexts is the passage in the Talmud which shows that R. Akiva set aside his previous assertions of Bar Kokhba's messiahship following Bar Kokhba's death. To Berger, Chabad's viewpoint on this issue is outside the pale of Orthodox Jewish belief. For this reason, Berger has been highly disappointed by the Orthodox establishment's indifference to Chabad's alleged heresy. Rabbi M.M. Schneerson The third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty was also named Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (with a h) Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902-June 12, 1994) was an Orthodox Judaism rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch branch of... The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ... Rabbi Akiva (or Rebbi Akiva) is one of the most central and essential contributors to the early Oral Torah, mainly the Mishnah and the Midrash Halakha. ... Simon bar Kokhba was a Jewish military leader who led a revolt against the Romans in AD 132. ... Simon bar Kokhba was a Jewish military leader who led a revolt against the Romans in AD 132. ...

Supporters

Berger's views are shared by many of the leaders of right-wing Orthodox institutions, especially the elite Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, and of the Rabbinical Seminary of America in New York. Rabbi Aharon Feldman, the dean of Ner Yisrael Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland, wrote a widely-disseminated letter in 2004 which stated that Orthodox Jews should not pray in Chabad messianist synagogues, usually called "Chabad houses" to distinguish them from establishment Orthodox congregations, and that rabbis who hold such views should not be respected. Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Ponevezh yeshiva (ישיבת פוניבז) (or Pononvezh) is one of the most famous Haredi Talmudical yeshivas with roots among the Lithuanian Jews. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Mentioned as one of the cities in the portion of the Tribe of Dan (Yehoshua 19:45), Bnei Brak is famous in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 32b) as the seat of Rabbi Akivas court, and in the Pesach Haggada as the site of the all-night Pesach Seder of Rabbi... Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim: Rabbinical Seminary of America (RSA) or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir Ha-Kohen, or Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva and often referred to as just Chofetz Chaim (חָפֵץ חַיִּים) is a major Orthodox Judaism yeshiva in the United States based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York with many branches... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Yeshiva Ner Yisrael: Ner Israel Rabbinical College also known as NIRC is a prominent Orthodox yeshiva in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman who was a key disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, dean of the famous Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... Official language(s) None Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 42nd 32,160 km² 145 km 400 km 21 37°53N to 39°43N 75°4W to 79°33W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 19th 5,296,486 165... Chabad Lubavitch, also known as Lubavitch Chabad, is a large branch of Hasidic Judaism. ... A synagogue (from Greek synagoge place of assembly literally meeting, assembly,) is a Jewish house of prayer and study. ...

Berger is a highly popular figure in Modern Orthodox circles. He is respected for his enduring contributions to Jewish-Christian dialogue as well as his research on the the Jewish-Christian debates during medieval times. Following Yeshiva University President Rabbi Norman Lamm's announcement that he would retire in 2001, Berger placed second on an online poll which asked who Lamm's successor should be. In 1996, largely at his behest, the Rabbinical Council of America, the largest organization of Modern Orthodox rabbis in the United States, approved the following resolution: Modern Orthodox Judaism is a philosophy that attempts to adapt Orthodox Judaism and interaction with the surrounding non-Jewish, modern world. ... Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. ... Norman (Nochum) Lamm, or Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, (born, 1927, Brooklyn, USA), major modern Orthodox Judaism rabbi, and Jewish communal leader. ... The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the worlds largest organizations of Orthodox Jewish rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU. History The roots of the organization go back to 1923 when... Modern Orthodox Judaism is a philosophy that attempts to adapt Orthodox Judaism and interaction with the surrounding non-Jewish, modern world. ... A Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) is a religious Jewish scholar who is an expert in Jewish law. ...

In light of disturbing developments which have recently arisen in the Jewish community,the Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled declares that there is not and has never been a place in Judaism for the belief that Mashiach ben David will begin his Mesiianic mission only to experience death, burial, and resurrection before completing it.

Criticism

As Berger admits, the criticism of his attacks on Chabad have come from some unexpected sources. Berger writes that David Singer, an impartial reviewer, "attributes to me bitterness, rage, barely controlled hysteria, egotism, absurdity and nonsense, all in the service of my aspiration to emulate Torquemada." [2] Berger cl

Works

• Berger, David. The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001 (ISBN 1874774889)

External links

• Brooklyn College Homepage
• Rabbinical Council of America Profile
• Book Review by David Singer and Berger's response
• Chabad response to Berger