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. [5] [6] [9]
In 2008,he left the Jewish Center and moved to Israel,where he completed a Ph.D. in Jewish thought from Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the guidance of Moshe Halbertal on the topic of Ger Toshav —gentiles who accept the Noahide Laws—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. While in Israel,he resided in Neve Daniel. [5] [6] [10] [8]
On November 16,2016,Berman was named President of Yeshiva University. [5] [8] He began his tenure on June 5,2017,succeeding Richard Joel. The formal investiture ceremony took place the following September 10. [6]
Since assuming his role in 2017,Dr. Berman has anchored Yeshiva University on the twin pillars of academic excellence and values-based education,guiding it into a new era of growth and innovation as a global leader in higher education. [11]
Under his leadership,Yeshiva University has launched over 20 new graduate degrees in emerging fields such as cybersecurity,health sciences,and STEM,resulting in a graduate school enrollment increase of over 100%,with students joining from across the United States and around the world. [12] This growth has led to an expansion of YU’s campus footprint,including the establishment of a new Health Science Campus in Herald Square in one of the largest real estate deals in New York City in 2024. [13]
Undergraduate applications have also reached record highs,attracting stellar students who are drawn to the high-quality education uniquely offered at the flagship Jewish university. With Berman’s focus on student success,the university launched new programs such as the Shevet Glaubach Center for Career Strategy and Professional Development [14] ,created a new tier of honor students through the Honors Leadership Society [15] ,and established the YU-Einstein Medical Scholars Program for elite medical students [16] .
Berman has spearheaded a period of unprecedented philanthropy. During his tenure,annual giving has more than doubled,and the Rise Up Campaign for $613 million—publicly launched just three years ago—has already secured $520 million,including $100 million raised during the Fall 2024 centennial Hanukkah dinner campaign [17] . The campaign has greatly enriched YU’s academic landscape with initiatives such as the Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies [18] ,the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership [19] ,and the Senator Joseph Lieberman-Mitzner Center for Public Service and Advocacy [20] .
Berman has played a significant role in shaping national and international discourse through various leadership initiatives. Following the October 7,2023,attacks in Israel,Berman established the Universities United Against Terrorism,a coalition of over 100 university presidents who collectively condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization. [21] He also led the first-ever delegation of university presidents on the International March of the Living to Auschwitz in May 2024,bringing together leaders from a diverse group of institutions,including public,private,Catholic,Evangelical,and historically Black colleges and universities. [22] .
As a founding member of the American Council on Education's Commission on Faith-Based Colleges and Universities,Berman has collaborated with leaders from institutions such as Notre Dame,Baylor,Pepperdine,and Brigham Young University. The commission works to advance access,affordability,and innovation in higher education while highlighting the essential contributions of faith-based institutions. [23] .
Beyond academia,Berman has been an active voice in interfaith and global initiatives. In 2021,he delivered the keynote address at the first Holocaust Commemoration Day event held in an Arab country,Dubai. In January 2023,he presented his address,"Covenant Versus Consumer Education," at the Brigham Young University Forum. [24] . He later headlined a historic sustainability forum at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi in September 2023,promoting environmental ethics and peace among Jewish,Muslim,and Christian leaders. In the summer of 2024,in Hiroshima,he joined as a signatory of the "Rome Call for Artificial Intelligence Ethics," advocating for human dignity-centered approaches to AI. In December 2024,he delivered the Hildesheimer Lecture at Humboldt University in Berlin,analyzing the legal and historical intersections of Jewish and non-Jewish communities and presenting a hopeful vision for the future. [25] .
Berman's thought leadership has been featured in major media outlets such as Forbes,Newsweek,and The Wall Street Journal,as well as on national television networks including CBS,NBC,CNBC,MSNBC,FOX News,and FOX Business. [26] .
Berman delivered the benediction at the second inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington,D.C.,on January 20,2025. [27] [28] He was the first American-Israeli to deliver remarks at a presidential inauguration,as well as the second Orthodox rabbi to do so. [29] [30]
