Tzvi Berkowitz is 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...

, Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

ist, and lecturer at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Ner Israel Rabbinical College), 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...

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, in the United States, and teaches the highest-level Talmud shiur (class), numbering over 100 advanced students, considered relatively large for such institutions.

Personal and professional life

Born in San Francisco to Holocaust

The Holocaust

The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...

 survivors of Gerrer

Ger (Hasidic dynasty)

Ger, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....

 Hasidic

Hasidic Judaism

Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...

 descent, he went to study at Ner Israel Yeshiva at a young age. He married Ettil Kamenetsky, daughter of Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky

Shmuel Kamenetsky

Shmuel Kamenetsky is a Haredi rabbi and co-founder and rosh yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is one of the best-known living Haredi Litvish Jewish gedolim outside Israel and the best-known son of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , one of America's greatest Torah...

, Dean of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia

Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia

The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, known as "Philly", is a Haredi Litvish yeshiva. Its roshei yeshiva are Rabbi Elya Svei, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rabbi Yehudah Svei and Rabbi Sholom Kaminetsky...

 and member of the American Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations....

 of Agudath Israel of America

Agudath Israel of America

Agudath Israel of America , is a Haredi Jewish communal organization in the United States loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel.-Functions:...

. Ettil is a granddaughter of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky

Yaakov Kamenetsky

Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community....

. Rabbi and Mrs. Berkowitz are the parents of 14 children.

In the world of the Haredi

Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....

 Lithuanian

Misnagdim

Misnagdim or Mitnagdim is a Hebrew word meaning "opponents". It is the plural of misnaged or mitnaged. Most prominent among the Misnagdim was Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman , commonly known as the Vilna Gaon or the Gra...

 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 the rabbinical scholar who is appointed to the position of highest-level lecturer in a 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...

 is second only to that of the rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 (Dean). The Ner Israel Rabbinical College is one of the oldest and most prestigious yeshivas in the United States, making Berkowitz one of the most prominent lecturers of Talmud in the United States.

In American Jewish Orthodoxy

Berkowitz serves in a variety of additional functions both within and outside of Ner Israel. Berkowitz also serves on the faculty of Ohr Nissan Talmud Center devoted to the Torah education of Iranian 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...

 under the auspices of the Ner Israel yeshiva.

He is a frequent guest speaker in Baltimore and other cities, such as Atlanta, Minneapolis and in various parts of New York as in Far Rockaway, and Lawrence

Lawrence, Nassau County, New York

Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...

 where he was described as follows:

Rabbi Berkowitz delivers the most advanced shiur in the yeshiva and is respected throughout the yeshiva world for his scholarship and insight. Many bachurim [male students] are attracted to Ner Israel because of the opportunity to attend his shiur [lectures]. He maintains close ties with alumni, many of whom live in the Five Towns

Five Towns

The Five Towns is an informal grouping of villages and hamlets in Nassau County, New York, United States on the South Shore of western Long Island adjoining the border with Queens County in New York City. Despite the name, none of the communities is a town...

area. It is typical for alumni who have been out of the yeshiva for years to consult with Rav Berkowitz on a regular basis.

Influence

Berkowitz has had an impact on other younger rabbis, who quote him authoritatively in their writings, such Dovid Rosenfeld, Doniel Frank, or have noted his educational influence on themselves, such as recent authors of Orthodox religious Judaica: Dov Moshe Lipman, Avi Fertig and on those active as Torah educators and leaders, such as:

Rabbi Jeffrey Greenberg... Dean of Ateres Naava Seminary, previously TBY seminary in Queens. He was the Director of New York NCSY for 20 years...attended Ner Israel in Baltimore, where he received Smicha, attaining a close relationship with his Rav, Rav Tzvi Berkowitz.