Herman N. Neuberger
Encyclopedia
Hermann Naftali Neuberger (26 June 1918, Hassfurt, Germany
- 21 October 2005, Baltimore, United States) was an Orthodox
rabbi
and leader. He was the brother of Albert Neuberger
CBE
FRS FRCP.
, to teach him about his heritage and the Torah
.
When Hermann was eight years old, the Neubergers moved to Würzburg
with its sizeable Jewish community so that the three children could prosper and learn. When Hermann was only 13, a few weeks after his bar mitzvah, his father died. While in Würzburg the young teenager met Rabbi Samson Rafael Weiss, an affluent Torah scholar who became his mentor. Rabbi Weiss convinced him that the best place for him to be was one of the larger yeshiva
s, so he traveled to Poland
to learn in the Mir Yeshiva
.
In 1938 tensions were starting to brew in Eastern Europe
and Anti-Semitism
was beginning to rear its ugly head. Rabbi Neuberger had a relative in New York
who was able to send him immigration papers to come to America
. Not wanting to leave others behind, he arranged for papers for some of his close relatives too. As good fate would have it, Mrs. Bertha Neuberger and her two other children had already escaped. He also helped Rabbi Dovid Kronglass, who would later become the Mashgiach
of Ner Israel, escape.
, the young yeshiva student met Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, who had just started a small yeshiva
in a local synagogue
, named Ner Israel. Inspired by the great man, Rabbi Neuberger decided to stay in Baltimore
and learn in the yeshiva full time. By 1941 the young scholar was already on the Board. He helped with administrative functions and arranged for the construction of a new school building on Garrison Blvd.
They remained happily married until her passing. During these early years, Rabbi Neuberger helped develop the yeshiva become a true center for Torah.
was still in power in Iran
and although the country was secular, Jews had very few rights and were not allowed to study Torah. Rabbi Neuberger brought a small group of Iranian youngsters to the Yeshiva with the intent that they would go back to Iran after receiving their Rabbinnical degrees to become educators. Before the plan began to bear fruit, it was 1979 and the Ayatollas
took command stripping Persian Jews
of any rights and dignity that remained. Through a series of connections, Rabbi Neuberger worked to help over 60,000 Jews escape from Iran in an operation still in effect today.
started the Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
to help yeshivas gain recognition amongst American Colleges.
in the Yeshiva, Yaakov and Isaac, both prominent lawyers in Baltimore, and Rabbi Ezra, Rosh Kollel
of Ner Israel.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- 21 October 2005, Baltimore, United States) was an Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and leader. He was the brother of Albert Neuberger
Albert Neuberger
Albert Neuberger CBE FRS FRCP was Professor of Chemical Pathology, St Mary's Hospital, University of London, 1955–1973, and later Emeritus Professor.-Education in Germany:...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRS FRCP.
Younger years
He was the son of Meir and Bertha Neuberger, the youngest of three children. His parents hired a teacher, or melamedMelamed
See also:Melamed Melamed, Melammed is a term which in Biblical times denoted a religious teacher or instructor in general , but which in the Talmudic period was applied especially to a teacher of children, and was almost invariably followed by the word "tinokot"...
, to teach him about his heritage and the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
.
When Hermann was eight years old, the Neubergers moved to Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
with its sizeable Jewish community so that the three children could prosper and learn. When Hermann was only 13, a few weeks after his bar mitzvah, his father died. While in Würzburg the young teenager met Rabbi Samson Rafael Weiss, an affluent Torah scholar who became his mentor. Rabbi Weiss convinced him that the best place for him to be was one of the larger yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s, so he traveled to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to learn in the Mir Yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
.
In 1938 tensions were starting to brew in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
was beginning to rear its ugly head. Rabbi Neuberger had a relative in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who was able to send him immigration papers to come to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Not wanting to leave others behind, he arranged for papers for some of his close relatives too. As good fate would have it, Mrs. Bertha Neuberger and her two other children had already escaped. He also helped Rabbi Dovid Kronglass, who would later become the Mashgiach
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
of Ner Israel, escape.
In America
On a visit to BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, the young yeshiva student met Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, who had just started a small yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in a local synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, named Ner Israel. Inspired by the great man, Rabbi Neuberger decided to stay in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and learn in the yeshiva full time. By 1941 the young scholar was already on the Board. He helped with administrative functions and arranged for the construction of a new school building on Garrison Blvd.
Starting a yeshiva
In 1942, Rabbi Neuberger married Judy Kramer, Rabbi Ruderman's sister in-law.They remained happily married until her passing. During these early years, Rabbi Neuberger helped develop the yeshiva become a true center for Torah.
Saving a nation
He took part in the rescue of Persian Jewry. In 1975 the ShahShah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
was still in power in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and although the country was secular, Jews had very few rights and were not allowed to study Torah. Rabbi Neuberger brought a small group of Iranian youngsters to the Yeshiva with the intent that they would go back to Iran after receiving their Rabbinnical degrees to become educators. Before the plan began to bear fruit, it was 1979 and the Ayatollas
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
took command stripping Persian Jews
Persian Jews
Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...
of any rights and dignity that remained. Through a series of connections, Rabbi Neuberger worked to help over 60,000 Jews escape from Iran in an operation still in effect today.
Recognition as a college
At this point in Jewish Americam history, yeshivas were not considered colleges and the degrees were not recognized. Rabbi Neuberger, along with his lifelong friend, Rabbi Moshe ShererMoshe Sherer
Rabbi Moshe Sherer was co-Chairman of the Agudath Israel World Organization from 1980, and the Chairman of Agudath Israel of America from the 1960s, until his death in 1998....
started the Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
The Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools is a faith-based national accreditation association for Rabbinical and Talmudic schools...
to help yeshivas gain recognition amongst American Colleges.
Around the country
Another major accomplishment of Rabbi Neuberger was gathering married bachurim learning in Kollel Avodas Levi, and sending them out to open outreach kollelim around the country. Today there are kollelim in many out-of-town cities including Atlanta, Phoenix, Colombus and Cincinnati.Legacy
He is survived by his five children, Rabbi Sheftel, who succeeded his father as President of Ner Israel, Rabbi Shraga, a first year Maggid ShiurMaggid shiur
The term Maggid Shiur literarly translates from Hebrew to mean "sayer of Shiur".This term is used to refer to the Rabbi that lectures in a Yeshiva or Kollel.A Maggid Shiur is generally a Rabbi who lectures on advanced and in-depth Talmudic studies....
in the Yeshiva, Yaakov and Isaac, both prominent lawyers in Baltimore, and Rabbi Ezra, Rosh Kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
of Ner Israel.