Ari Berman (born February 1970) is an American-Israeli

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 ...

and academic administrator who serves as the fifth 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 ...

Early life and education

Berman was raised in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and graduated from the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy in 1987. He studied in

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...

in Alon Shevut before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yeshiva College, graduating ''magna cum laude'' in 1991, rabbinical 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 ...

, and an M.A. in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from

Bernard Revel Graduate School The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies was Yeshiva University’s first graduate school. Founded in 1937, it was named for Yeshiva University's first president, Bernard Revel. Its curriculum prepares highly trained teachers, researchers ...

Career

Berman served successively as rabbinic intern, assistant rabbi, and associate rabbi at The Jewish Center of Manhattan beginning in 1994, and was promoted to be their lead rabbi in 2000. He also taught Talmud in the Stone Beit Midrash Program of Yeshiva University starting in 1998. In 2008, he left the Jewish Center and moved to Israel, where he completed a Ph.D. in

Jewish thought Jewish thought ( he, מחשבת ישראל, ''Machshevet Yisrael'', or ''machshavah''), also known as Judaic thought or Hebraic thought, is a field of Jewish studies that deals with the products of Jewish thought and culture throughout the ages, an ...

from

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

under the guidance of Dr. Moshe Halbertal, on the topic of

Ger Toshav ''Ger toshav'' ( he, גר תושב, ''ger'': "foreigner" or "alien" + ''toshav'': "resident", lit. "resident alien") is a halakhic term used in Judaism to designate the legal status of a Gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who does n ...

– gentiles who accept the

Noahide Laws In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah ( he, שבע מצוות בני נח, ''Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach''), otherwise referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachian Laws (from the Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of universal moral law ...

– in Jewish Law of the Middle Ages. He also served as ''Rosh HaMerkaz'', or head, of the Heichal Shlomo Jewish Heritage Center in Jerusalem and was an instructor at

Herzog College Herzog College ( he, מכללת הרצוג, ''Mikhlelet Herzog'') is an Israeli teachers' college with campuses in Jerusalem, Alon Shvut and Migdal Oz. History Herzog College is named for Jacob Herzog, Yaakov Herzog, an Israeli diplomat, scholar ...

. While in Israel, he resided in

Neve Daniel Neve Daniel ( he, נְוֵה דָּנִיֵּאל) is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in western Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem and just west of Bethlehem, it sits atop one of the highest points in the area - close to 1,000 meter ...

. On November 16, 2016, Berman was named President of Yeshiva University. He began his tenure on June 5, 2017, succeeding

Richard Joel Richard M. Joel (born September 9, 1950) is a Jewish scholar who was the fourth president of Yeshiva University (YU), a Modern Orthodox Jewish university in New York City. He has written on topics that include Jewish leadership, the BDS movement ...

. The formal investiture ceremony took place the following September 10.

Personal life

Berman's uncle is Julius Berman, a rabbi and lawyer who serves on the Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University and as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of

. Berman is married to Anita Berman and has five children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Ari Yeshiva University faculty 1970 births Living people Orthodox rabbis American rabbis Presidents of Yeshiva University Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients 21st-century American Jews Modern Orthodox rabbis Israeli settlers Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshiva University