Lamm, Norman

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LAMM, NORMAN

LAMM, NORMAN (1927– ), Yeshiva University president, educator, and scholar. Born in Brooklyn, Lamm attended Mesivta Torah VoDaat yeshivah, and then Yeshiva College. He received rabbinical ordination at riets in 1951. In 1966 he received his Ph.D. from Yeshiva University and was on its faculty for 17 years. He also served as communal leader, first as assistant rabbi of New York City's Kehillath Jeshurun Synagogue, then as spiritual leader of Congregation Kadima in Springfield, Mass., and still later as spiritual leader of Manhattan's Jewish Center.

He was the founding editor of Tradition, the major journal of Orthodox thought, and also served as editor of "The Library of Jewish Law and Ethics."

When Yeshiva University president Samuel Belkin passed away in 1976 Lamm was elected to that position, which he held for 25 years. It was as head of Yeshiva University that he made a major impact on Jewish education in America. Lamm has been a strong proponent of the Torah u-Madda approach, of combining traditional Jewish learning with modern secular studies. He has been one of the foremost leaders of Modern or Centrist orthodoxy, between Conservative and Reform Judaism on the left, and ḥaredi Judaism on the right. For him, while living by halakhah is the heart of Jewish duty and life, religious coercion is unacceptable. Lamm was a supporter of the efforts to solve the "Who is a Jew?" problem. He has worked for unity between all streams of Judaism though strongly opposed the Reform decision to make patrilineal descent a criterion for defining Jewishness.

Lamm is one of the most important of modern Jewish thinkers and published ten books and many articles. Among the subjects Lamm has written about are the nature of Jewish and rabbinic leadership, man's position in the universe, the religious implications of extraterrestrial life, ecology in Jewish law and theology, and privacy in law and theology.

Lamm's tenure at Yeshiva was not without controversy. The university expanded greatly under his leadership. He set it on a firm economic foundation, increasing its endowment, enhancing the prestige of its graduate schools and medical school. The extreme right wing opposed his advocacy of Torah u-Madda and his position on conversion. From time to time, Rabbi Lamm was embarrassed by those who opposed the toleration of certain groups on campus, such as gay and lesbian organizations. Lamm's attacks on false piety and the excess emphasis on externals rather than true Jewish spirituality also won him opponents. In 1999 a group of rabbis broke away from Yeshiva. On the whole though he has been a consensus leader, one able to work successfully with other leaders.

After retiring as president of Yeshiva in 2001 he was appointed chancellor of the University. It was noted that the university could not find a leader who combined Rabbi Lamm's learning and secular academic achievement; so it bifurcated the role by having new president Richard Joel lead the University and Rabbi Lamm remain as chancellor and rosh yeshivah.