[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   DEATH OF RABBI HERMAN N. NEUBERGER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 25, 2005

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to mourn the recent passing of 
Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger, the president of the Orthodox Ner Israel 
Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland. I have known Rabbi Neuberger 
for many years and have counted on his friendship and advice. The death 
of Rabbi Neuberger is a tremendous loss for our entire community. Rabbi 
Neuberger was one of the foremost leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the 
United States, and was internationally recognized for his 
accomplishments.
  Born in 1918 in Germany, Rabbi Neuberger was the youngest of three 
children. In 1938 he fled to the United States, on his own, as the Nazi 
regime began its rise to power in Germany. During World War II he 
helped to erect Ner Israel's first building on Garrison Boulevard in 
Baltimore.
  Rabbi Neuberger affected the lives of many Jews in Baltimore, but he 
also helped Jews around the world escape from persecution. In 1976 he 
began bringing young Iranians back to Ner Israel for scholarship, and 
he encouraged them to return to the Middle East. After the 1979 Iranian 
revolution, Rabbi Neuberger successfully persuaded the State Department 
to recognize Iranian Jews as political refugees, which allowed them to 
enter the United States. Many of the refugees became students of Rabbi 
Neuberger, who waived tuition for them. The school estimates that over 
the years roughly 1,000 people were brought to the United States due to 
the Rabbi's efforts.
  Throughout his life Rabbi Neuberger also labored mightily to build 
bridges between different religious communities in Baltimore, 
understanding the critical importance of strengthening the inter-faith 
dialogue in this country to confront common problems.
  Through his work over a half century, the campus expanded to include 
90 acres and 800 students. Today Ner Israel teaches Talmudic Law and 
offers students numerous degrees, including a baccalaureate, master's, 
doctorate, Rabbinical Ordination and a teacher's diploma. Ner Israel is 
recognized as an accredited college by the state of Maryland, and its 
students may take courses at other colleges and universities in the 
Baltimore region and receive academic credits for their religious 
studies.
  Rabbi Neuberger's family also contributed to his legacy at Ner 
Israel, as he is survived by five sons, three of which teach at the 
school.
  Rabbi Neuberger had a tremendous impact on the spiritual, 
intellectual, and communal lives of thousands of Jews throughout the 
world. Rabbi Neuberger exemplified what it was to be a rabbi: someone 
with the wisdom to be a learned teacher and leader. His advice was 
sought out by community leaders of all faiths, and his wise counsel 
will be sorely missed.

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