Bernard Lander
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander (June 17, 1915 – February 8, 2010), founder and first president of Touro College
, was a social scientist and educator, a preeminent leader in the Jewish community and a pioneer in Jewish and general higher education.
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, which became the city's first Commission on Human Rights. The Commission prepared the first civil rights
legislation for New York state. An ordained Orthodox
rabbi, he held a doctorate in sociology
from Columbia University
.
He built Touro College from scratch into a multi-million dollar institution with an international presence. Before establishing Touro College in 1971, he served as a professor of sociology for over two decades at Hunter College
and at Yeshiva University
, where he established the university's graduate schools of education, psychology and social work and served as dean of its Bernard Revel Graduate School. Today, Touro College/Touro University is a multi-campus, international university with approximately 17,500 students at campus locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Israel, Russia and Germany.
Lander has served as a consultant to three United States Presidents and was part of the seven-member commission that established the historic "War on Poverty
" program in the U.S. He served as a consultant to the White House Conference on Children and Youth
; on an advisory council on public assistance established by Congress; and was a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Juvenile Delinquency
and Youth Crime under the Johnson and Kennedy administrations.
For eight years he served as a senior director of a national study for the University of Notre Dame
of South Bend, Indiana on the problems of youth. He is the author of a book and numerous articles in the field of sociology. He also served as a consultant to the Maryland State Commission on Juvenile Delinquency. Lander has been honored by the Council of New York State College Presidents for his lifetime contributions to higher education. A former Rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation of Baltimore
and former president of the Queens Jewish Center
in Forest Hills, Queens
(NY), Lander was also an Honorary Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Lander was the recipient of the landmark ruling by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein concerning the Orthodox position on Christian-Jewish dialogue in a 1967 letter published in Igrot Moshe.
He died on February 8, 2010.
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
, was a social scientist and educator, a preeminent leader in the Jewish community and a pioneer in Jewish and general higher education.
Biography
Lander was one of three associate directors of the Mayor's Committee on Unity, established in 1944 by former New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, which became the city's first Commission on Human Rights. The Commission prepared the first civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
legislation for New York state. An ordained 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, he held a doctorate in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
He built Touro College from scratch into a multi-million dollar institution with an international presence. Before establishing Touro College in 1971, he served as a professor of sociology for over two decades at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and at Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, where he established the university's graduate schools of education, psychology and social work and served as dean of its Bernard Revel Graduate School. Today, Touro College/Touro University is a multi-campus, international university with approximately 17,500 students at campus locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Israel, Russia and Germany.
Lander has served as a consultant to three United States Presidents and was part of the seven-member commission that established the historic "War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
" program in the U.S. He served as a consultant to the White House Conference on Children and Youth
White House Conference on Children and Youth
The White House Conference on Children and Youth was a series of meetings hosted over 70 years by the President of the United States of America, and the first White House conference ever held. Under the leadership of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D....
; on an advisory council on public assistance established by Congress; and was a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
and Youth Crime under the Johnson and Kennedy administrations.
For eight years he served as a senior director of a national study for the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
of South Bend, Indiana on the problems of youth. He is the author of a book and numerous articles in the field of sociology. He also served as a consultant to the Maryland State Commission on Juvenile Delinquency. Lander has been honored by the Council of New York State College Presidents for his lifetime contributions to higher education. A former Rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation of 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...
and former president of the Queens Jewish Center
Queens Jewish Center
The Queens Jewish Center, also known as Queens Jewish Center and Talmud Torah or QJC, is a synagogue in Forest Hills, Queens, New York known for its significant contributions to the Jewish community. The synagogue was established by a dozen families in 1943 to serve the growing central Queens...
in Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
(NY), Lander was also an Honorary Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Lander was the recipient of the landmark ruling by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein concerning the Orthodox position on Christian-Jewish dialogue in a 1967 letter published in Igrot Moshe.
He died on February 8, 2010.
See also
- Touro CollegeTouro CollegeTouro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
- Touro UniversityTouro UniversityTouro University is a division of Touro College. It may refer to:*Touro University California, a medical, pharmacy and physician assistant's school in Vallejo, California, USA....