Bruria Hutner David
Encyclopedia
Bruria David (born 1936) is a Haredi
Jewish
rebbetzin
and Torah scholar. She is the founder and dean of Beth Jacob Jerusalem
(commonly known as BJJ), a prestigious Haredi
religious girls seminary located in the Unsdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel
. She is the only child of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
, rosh yeshiva
of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
, and the wife of Rabbi Yonasan David
, rosh yeshiva
of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok
in Jerusalem's Har Nof
neighborhood. Together with her husband and parents, she was on one of the airplanes hijacked by the Black September
terrorists in 1970.
, but returned to New York a year later, where Bruria was born.
She received her doctorate in history from Columbia University
in 1971 as a student of Salo Baron
.. Her dissertation, titled The Dual Role of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Chajes
: Traditionalist and Maskil, demonstrates a thorough mastery of the secondary material, and deals with Rabbi Chajes's relationships in the traditional world of Orthodox Judaism
.
who wish to pursue Torah study
on an advanced academic level. The seminary also provides professional training toward a teaching degree. Dr. David personally interviews each applicant to maintain the school's reputation as one of the "elite" institutions in the Haredi world.
by the PFLP Palestinian terrorist organization. The terrorists freed the non-Jewish passengers and held the Jewish passengers hostage on the plane for one week, after which the women and children – including Dr. David and her mother – were released and sent to Cyprus
. The hijacked airplanes were subsequently detonated. The remaining 40-plus Jewish men – including Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi David, and two students accompanying Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi Meir Fund and Rabbi Yaakov Drillman – and male flight crew continued to be held hostage in and around Amman
, Jordan
; Rabbi Hutner was held alone in an isolated location while Jews around the world prayed fervently for his safe return. Rabbi Hutner and Rabbi David were finally released on 26 September and flown to Nicosia
, Cyprus. On 28 September Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi David, their wives and students were flown back to New York via Europe, and were home in time for the first night of Rosh Hashana.
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
rebbetzin
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and Torah scholar. She is the founder and dean of Beth Jacob Jerusalem
Beth Jacob Jerusalem
Beth Jacob Jerusalem , commonly known as BJJ, is a prestigious Haredi religious girls seminary located in the Unsdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. It was founded in the early 1960s by Dr...
(commonly known as BJJ), a prestigious Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
religious girls seminary located in the Unsdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. She is the only child of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox rabbi and American rosh yeshiva.-Early years:Yitchok Hutner was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish roots. As a child he received private instruction in Torah and Talmud...
, rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
, and the wife of Rabbi Yonasan David
Yonasan David
Yonasan Dovid David is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok and Kollel Ohr Eliyahu in the Har Nof section in Jerusalem. He also serves as the co-rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin together with Rabbi Aaron Schechter in Brooklyn, New York City.-Biography:Rabbi David is married to Dr...
, rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok
Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok
Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok is a yeshiva that was established in Jerusalem, Israel in the late 1970s by Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner. It is located in the Har Nof neighborhood...
in Jerusalem's Har Nof
Har Nof
Har Nof is a neighborhood on a hillside on the western boundary of Jerusalem, Israel, with a population of 20,000 residents, primarily Orthodox Jews.-History:...
neighborhood. Together with her husband and parents, she was on one of the airplanes hijacked by the Black September
Black September in Jordan
September 1970 is known as the Black September in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events." It was a month when Hashemite King Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the militancy of Palestinian organizations and restore his monarchy's rule over the country. The...
terrorists in 1970.
Early life and education
David is the daughter of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner and his rebbetzin, Masha Lipshitz. Her parents married in 1933 and moved to PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, but returned to New York a year later, where Bruria was born.
She received her doctorate in history 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...
in 1971 as a student of Salo Baron
Salo Wittmayer Baron
Salo Wittmayer Baron was an American historian of Polish-Austrian Jewish ancestry and the most noted historian of the Jews of his generation. Baron taught at Columbia University from 1930 until his retirement in 1963....
.. Her dissertation, titled The Dual Role of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Chajes
Zvi Hirsch Chajes
Zvi Hirsch Chajes was one of the foremost Galician talmudic scholars. He is best known for his work Mevo Hatalmud , which serves both as commentary and introduction...
: Traditionalist and Maskil, demonstrates a thorough mastery of the secondary material, and deals with Rabbi Chajes's relationships in the traditional world of Orthodox Judaism
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...
.
BJJ
Dr. David founded Beth Jacob Jerusalem (BJJ) in the early 1960s as a post-high-school seminary geared for American and Israeli graduates of Bais YaakovBais Yaakov
Bais Yaakov is a common name for Orthodox full-time Jewish elementary and secondary schools throughout the world for Jewish girls from religious families...
who wish to pursue Torah study
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
on an advanced academic level. The seminary also provides professional training toward a teaching degree. Dr. David personally interviews each applicant to maintain the school's reputation as one of the "elite" institutions in the Haredi world.
Black September hijacking
In 1970 Rabbi and Mrs. David accompanied her father and mother on a trip to Israel. During their return flight to New York on 6 September 1970, their plane was hijackedDawson's Field hijackings
In the Dawson's Field hijackings five jet aircraft bound for New York City were hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
by the PFLP Palestinian terrorist organization. The terrorists freed the non-Jewish passengers and held the Jewish passengers hostage on the plane for one week, after which the women and children – including Dr. David and her mother – were released and sent to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The hijacked airplanes were subsequently detonated. The remaining 40-plus Jewish men – including Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi David, and two students accompanying Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi Meir Fund and Rabbi Yaakov Drillman – and male flight crew continued to be held hostage in and around Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; Rabbi Hutner was held alone in an isolated location while Jews around the world prayed fervently for his safe return. Rabbi Hutner and Rabbi David were finally released on 26 September and flown to Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus. On 28 September Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi David, their wives and students were flown back to New York via Europe, and were home in time for the first night of Rosh Hashana.