Michael Greenbaum

Last updated

Rabbi Michael B. Greenbaum was the Vice Chancellor and Chief operating officer of The Jewish Theological Seminary. He is also an assistant professor of Educational Administration, teaching courses in nonprofit management, leadership theory and practice, and the history of the Conservative Movement. [1]

Contents

The Jewish Theological Seminary

As JTS's chief operating officer, Rabbi Greenbaum was responsible for day-to-day operations. He also oversaw the physical development of JTS's campus and the professionalization of operations. Rabbi Greenbaum worked closely with Arnold Eisen on a wide range of JTS and Conservative Movement issues and activities, both here and abroad, and represents JTS on numerous boards and committees of the Conservative Movement. He currently serves as the secretary of the National Ramah Commission. [2]

Scholarship

Rabbi Greenbaum is a recognized expert on Louis Finkelstein, JTS chancellor (1940–1972), and the Conservative Movement. His work in these areas has appeared in Conservative Judaism; Tradition Renewed, the two-volume history of JTS; and the Journal of Conservative Judaism. [3] His book Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement: Conflict and Growth, was published in 2001 by Binghamton University and recently republished by The Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition to working under Dr. Finkelstein as a student, Rabbi Greenbaum has also had the privilege of working closely with previous chancellors Gerson D. Cohen and Ismar Schorsch.

Higher Education Administration

Rabbi Greenbaum's expertise in higher education administration has been acknowledged by both the Association of Theological Schools (the primary accrediting body for religiously affiliated schools in North America) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits all postsecondary schools in the Middle Atlantic region, Puerto Rico, and other locations abroad. He served for four years as a member of the Association of Theological Schools' National Commission on Accrediting and six years as a commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association, during which time he was also a member of the Executive Committee. Over the years, Rabbi Greenbaum has chaired numerous evaluation teams for both organizations.

Training

Born in New Jersey, Rabbi Greenbaum moved at a young age to Daytona Beach, Florida. He attended Yeshiva University in New York City and received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Rabbi Greenbaum received a master of education degree from Columbia University, and a master of Hebrew literature degree from JTS, where he was ordained. Rabbi Greenbaum received his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Columbia University.

Personal life

For more than thirty years, Rabbi Greenbaum has been privileged to share the pulpit in Sharon, Massachusetts, on the High Holidays. He has also been a scholar-in-residence at various events. He was named one of the "50 Most Influential Rabbis in America" by Newsweek magazine in 2008 (#37) and 2009 (#24). [4] [5]

Rabbi Greenbaum and his wife, Cindy, have four children and four grandchildren. They reside in Hackensack, New Jersey, where they are members of Congregation Beth Sholom of Teaneck and Temple Beth-El of Hackensack.

Works

Books

Articles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservative Judaism</span> Jewish religious movement

Conservative Judaism is a Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations, more than from divine revelation. It therefore views Jewish law, or halakha, as both binding and subject to historical development. The conservative rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources, and lends great weight to its constituency, when determining its stance on matters of practice. The movement considers its approach as the authentic and most appropriate continuation of halakhic discourse, maintaining both fealty to received forms and flexibility in their interpretation. It also eschews strict theological definitions, lacking a consensus in matters of faith and allowing great pluralism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Ginzberg</span> Russian-born American Conservative rabbi and Talmudic scholar (1873-1953)

Louis Ginzberg was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, contributing editor to numerous articles of The Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), and leading figure in the Conservative movement of Judaism during the early 20th century. He was born in Kaunas, Vilna Governorate and died in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Theological Seminary of America</span> Religious education organization located in New York, New York

The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies. The Jewish Theological Seminary Library is one of the most significant collections of Judaica in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Finkelstein</span> American rabbi and scholar (1895–1991)

Louis Finkelstein was a Talmud scholar, an expert in Jewish law, and a leader of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and Conservative Judaism.

Joel Roth is a prominent American rabbi in the Rabbinical Assembly, which is the rabbinical body of Conservative Judaism. He is a former member and chair of the assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) which deals with questions of Jewish law and tradition, and serves as the Louis Finkelstein Professor of Talmud and Jewish Law at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City, where he formerly served as dean of the Rabbinical School. He is also Rosh Yeshiva of the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel, an institution founded and maintained by the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism and under the academic auspices of JTS. In 2006, Rabbi Roth took over as chair of the Hebrew Language department at JTS. Rabbi Roth is a well-known teacher of Hebrew grammar. He is a vociferous proponent of the existence of the "sheva merakhef".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saul Lieberman</span>

Saul Lieberman, also known as Rabbi Shaul Lieberman or, among some of his students, The Gra"sh, was a rabbi and a Talmudic scholar. He served as Professor of Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA) for over 40 years, and for many years was dean of the Harry Fischel Institute in Israel and also president of the American Academy for Jewish Research.

Amy Eilberg is the first female rabbi ordained in Conservative Judaism. She was ordained in 1985 by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, one of the academic centers and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chizuk Amuno Congregation</span>

Chizuk Amuno Congregation is a large Jewish house of worship affiliated with Conservative Judaism. It is located in Pikesville, Maryland. The congregation's name comes from the Hebrew "Chizzuq 'Emunah", meaning "strengthening the faith". The word "Amuno" is a variant of the Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation of "'Emunah".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Tucker</span> American rabbi

Gordon Tucker is a prominent rabbi, with a reputation as both a political and a theological liberal in Conservative Judaism. He is the former senior rabbi of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York. Since September 2020, he has served as the Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Eisen</span>

Arnold M. Eisen, Ph.D. is an American Judaic scholar who was Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He stepped down at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Koshland Professor of Jewish Culture and Religion and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty in 1986, he taught at Tel Aviv University and Columbia University.

Ismar Schorsch is the Chancellor emeritus of The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and the Rabbi Herman Abramovitz Professor of Jewish history.

Lee I. Levine is an American-born Israeli rabbi, archaeologist and historian of classical Judaism. He is a strong believer in the ability of the Jewish people and Judaism to adapt to local settings as a key to survival. He is the author of Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity and The Ancient Synagogue, one of the most comprehensive texts on the subject.

Criticism of Conservative Judaism is widespread in the Orthodox Jewish community, although the movement also has its critics in Reform Judaism and in other streams of Judaism. While the Conservative movement professes fidelity to Jewish tradition, it considers Halakha to be a dynamic process that needs reinterpreting in modern times. The criticism by Orthodox Jews and traditionalists within the movement itself revolves around the following:

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, near Wingdale, New York, is one of nine overnight summer camps and three day camps affiliated with the Conservative Movement of Judaism and the National Ramah Commission. It is accredited by the American Camp Association. The camp sits on 299-acre (1.21 km2) site in Dutchess County, New York, about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of the Massachusetts border and the Berkshire Mountains, on Lake Ellis.

Simon Greenberg was a Russian-born American Conservative rabbi and scholar. Greenberg was part of the senior management of many Jewish organizations in America. He helped to found a number of institutions, including the American Jewish University, of which he was the first President. At the time of his death, he was vice chancellor emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Greenberg has been called "one of the most important leaders of the Conservative movement".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lieber</span>

David L. Lieber (1925-2008), rabbi and scholar, was president emeritus of the University of Judaism and the senior editor of the Etz Hayim Humash. He helped pioneer the Ramah camps, serving as the founding head counselor in the first of the camps in Wisconsin, a director in Maine, the founding director of Camp Ramah in California, and the founding director of the Mador.

The Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism, also known as the LCCJ, is a council made up of members of the various arms of the Conservative movement, a formal movement within the Jewish denomination of Conservative Judaism.

Harold Louis Ginsberg,, commonly known as H. L. Ginsberg, was a professor of biblical literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City in the 20th century.

Burton L. Visotzky is an American rabbi and scholar of midrash. He is the Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies, Emeritus at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS).

Sylvia Cutler Ettenberg was a Jewish educator at the forefront of many Conservative Jewish educational initiatives and was one of the founders of the Camp Ramah camping movement. A graduate of Brooklyn College and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), she was invited by JTS Chancellor Louis Finkelstein to join the JTS administration in 1946. Ettenberg served as registrar and oversaw the development of the Teachers Institute and Seminary College of JTS. Along with Rabbi Moshe Davis, a dean at JTS, she was responsible for establishing the Ramah camping movement as a program of JTS. She was also instrumental in founding JTS's supplementary high school (Prozdor) program, its Melton Research Center, and, later, its William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, and she played a key role in the development of List College's joint program with Columbia University. Sylvia Ettenberg died on June 21, 2012

References

  1. The Jewish Theological Seminary - Michael Greenbaum Archived 2011-01-01 at the Wayback Machine Official JTS Biography
  2. National Ramah Commission Members List
  3. Conservative Judaism Journal: Volume 56 (Fall 2003) Archived 2010-11-27 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 50 Influential Rabbis (2009) Compiled by Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman & CEO Michael Lynton, News Corporation Executive Vice President Gary Ginsberg and JTN Productions CEO Jay Sanderson
  5. Top 50 Influential Rabbis in America (2008) Generated by Michael Lynton, (chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment), Gary Ginsberg, (executive VP, global marketing and corporate affairs, News Corp.) and Jay Sanderson, (CEO and executive producer, JTN/JTN Productions)
  6. Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Global Academic Publishing at Binghamton University