Ari Berman (; born February 18, 1970) is an American

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 Philosophy ...

Religious Zionist Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...

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 t ...

and academic administrator serving as the fifth president of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

Early life and education

Berman was raised in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

in New York City, 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 the West Bank. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced T ...

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 S ...

, and an M.A. in medieval Jewish philosophy from Bernard Revel Graduate School. In 2016 Berman completed a Ph.D. in

Jewish thought Jewish thought (, ''Machshevet Yisrael''), 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, and their historical development. The field a ...

from

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

under the guidance of

Moshe Halbertal Moshe Halbertal (; born Montevideo, Uruguay, 1958) is an Israeli philosopher, professor, and writer, a noted expert on Maimonides, and co-author of the Israeli Army Code of Ethics. He currently holds positions as the John and Golda Cohen Professor ...

on the topic of ''

Ger Toshav ''Ger toshav'' (, ''ger'': "foreigner" or "alien" + ''toshav'': "resident", lit. "Alien (law), resident alien") is a Halakha, halakhic term used in Judaism to designate the legal status of a Gentile#Judaism, Gentile (non-Jew) living in the La ...

''—gentiles who accept the

Noahide Laws In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (, ''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 laws which, according to the Talmud, ...

—in Jewish law of the Middle Ages.

Career

Berman served as a rabbinic intern, assistant rabbi, and associate rabbi at The Jewish Center of Manhattan beginning in 1994 and was promoted to be its 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

from

in 2016 under the guidance of

on the topic of ''

''—gentiles who accept the

—in Jewish law of the Middle Ages. He also served as ''Rosh HaMerkaz'' of the Heichal Shlomo Jewish Heritage Center in Jerusalem and was an instructor at

Herzog College Herzog College (, ''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 and son of Israel's secon ...

. While in Israel, he resided in Neve Daniel. 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 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 on college campuses, an ...

. The formal investiture ceremony took place the following September 10. In 2021, he delivered the keynote address at the first Holocaust Commemoration Day event in Dubai. He spoke at Brigham Young University in 2023 on the intersection of faith and education. Berman delivered the

benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...

at the

second inauguration of Donald Trump The United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on Monday, January 20, 2025. Due to freezing temperatures and high winds, it was held inside the United States Capi ...

in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. He was the first American-Israeli to deliver remarks at a presidential inauguration, as well as the second Orthodox rabbi to do so.

Books

''The Final Exam: Letters to Our Students'' (Maggid Books, 2023)

Personal Life

Berman is married to Anita Berman, and they have five children. 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Ari 1970 births Living people Yeshiva University faculty American Modern Orthodox rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Presidents of Yeshiva University Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Israeli Modern Orthodox rabbis Israeli settlers Yeshivat Har Etzion alumni Orthodox rabbis from New York City Religious Zionist Orthodox rabbis Religious leaders from Queens, New York