Irving Yitzchak Greenberg (born May 16, 1933), also known as Yitz Greenberg, is an American scholar, author, and

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 ...

. Greenberg is known as a strong supporter of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, as well as a promoter of greater understanding between

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Early life and education

Greenberg was born and raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He attended Yeshiva Beis Yosef, where he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1953. At the same time, he attended

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

.'' He later earned a Master of Arts and PhD in

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, having written his dissertation on

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and the American labor movement.

Career

He served as the

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, the rabbi of the

Riverdale Jewish Center The Riverdale Jewish Center, abbreviated as RJC, is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located at 3700 Independence Avenue, in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, New York, United States. History The synagogue was founded by the ...

, an associate professor of history at

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

, and as a founder, chairman, and professor in the department of

Jewish studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; ) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (especially Jewish history), Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, ...

of the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

. He is currently on the faculty of

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) is a Modern Orthodox yeshiva founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Currently located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, YCT's declared mission is to educate and place rabbis who are ...

. He has also served as the president of the

National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL) is a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center. It is an inter-disciplinary and inter-denominational movement, in which rabbis from all major Jewish denominations in ...

. In 2020, Greenberg joined the faculty of the non-denominational, liberal-leaning

Yeshivat Hadar Hadar is an educational institution on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.Hadar website The institute offers various programs to support the development of Judaism that is both traditional and egalitarian. A major component of the institute is Ye ...

as the senior scholar in residence.

Ideology

Greenberg's thought involves reading current

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

through traditional Jewish categories of thought. He has written extensively about

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

and the historical and religious significance of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. He learned

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 Rabbi

Joseph B. Soloveitchik Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic ...

. He has taught extensively, and a number of well-known scholars, including Rabbi

Joseph Telushkin Joseph Telushkin (born 1948) is an American rabbi and writer. He has authored more than 15 books, including volumes about Jewish ethics, Jewish literacy, as well as the book ''Rebbe'', a ''New York Times'' bestseller released in June 2014. Biogr ...

and

Michael Berenbaum Michael Berenbaum (born July 31, 1945, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American scholar, professor, rabbi, writer, and filmmaker, who specializes in the study of the Holocaust. He served as deputy director of the President's Commission on the Holoc ...

, consider him their mentor. Greenberg espouses the concept of " Tikkun Olam" (repairing the world) as humanity working—as co-creators—with

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

to improve the world. He sees the

Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

's covenant with God as enjoining them to set an example for the moral edification of humanity. Greenberg also suggests that the inherent image of God in every human indicates that each person possesses "infinite value, equality, and uniqueness." According to Greenberg, this means that there is no absolute

truth Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...

or 'correct' religion: "Part of every truth is the fact that an

image of God The "image of God" (; ; ) is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism and Christianity. It is a foundational aspect of Judeo-Christian belief with regard to the fundamental understanding of human nature. It stems from the primary text in Gen ...

is speaking it; that is to say, a being of infinite value, equality, and uniqueness is speaking it." Only part of his post- Holocaust theology has been published. Greenberg argues that God has broken his covenant with the Jewish people, viewing the Holocaust as a pivotal event that represents this "breaking of the covenant." The breaking event is seen as part of God's ongoing process of ''

tzimtzum The ''tzimtzum'' or ''tsimtsum'' () is a term used in Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the process of creation by limiting the Ohr Ein Sof (infinite light) of the Godhead in order to allow for a conceptual spa ...

'' (withdrawal) from the world. According to Greenberg, the Holocaust illustrates that the fate of the world lies in humanity's hands. If such profound evil can exist in the world, as demonstrated by the Holocaust, then it is also possible for immense good to be realized. Greenberg's theological views have been criticized by historian David Berger. In the 1980s, Greenberg was involved in a controversial debate with the radical right-wing rabbi

Meir Kahane Meir David HaKohen Kahane ( ; ; born Martin David Kahane; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was an American-born Israel, Israeli Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox ordained rabbi, writer and ultra-nationalist politician. Founder of the Israeli pol ...

Personal life

He is married to the Orthodox Jewish

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

writer

Blu Greenberg Blu Greenberg (; born January 21, 1936, Seattle) is an American Orthodox Jewish writer specializing in modern Judaism and women's issues. Her most noted books are ''On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition'' (1981), and ''Black Bread: Poems, A ...

Works

* ''Cloud of Smoke, Pillar of Fire: Judaism, Christianity, Modernity After the Holocaust'' (1976) * ''The Third Great Cycle of Jewish History'' (1981) * ''Voluntary Covenant'' (1982) * ''The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays'' (1988) * ''The Ethics of Jewish Power'' (1990) * ''Judaism and Christianity: Their Respective Roles in the Divine Strategy of Redemption'' (1996) * ''Covenantal Pluralism'' (1997) * ''Living in the Image of God: Jewish Teachings to Perfect the World'' (1998) * ''For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter Between Judaism and Christianity'' (2004) * ''Sage Advice - Commentary on Pirkei Avot'' (2016) * ''Ohr Yisrael and Other Writings By Rabbi Israel Salanter'' (2024) * ''The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism'' (2024)

References

External links

Rabbi Irving Greenberg
- website
Articles by Yitz Greenberg
on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
"Irving Greenberg and a Jewish Dialectic of Hope"
by Michael Oppenheim, from ''Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought'', Vol. 49, No. 2
Lecture by Greenberg
at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Irving 1933 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American rabbis American Jewish theologians American male non-fiction writers American Modern Orthodox rabbis Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue City College of New York faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Holocaust theology Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish ethicists Novardok Yeshiva alumni Philosophers of Judaism United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Yeshiva University faculty