Daniel Greer
Encyclopedia
Daniel Greer is the founder of the Yeshiva of New Haven and a one time candidate for the Democrat nomination for a New York State Assembly District. He was the father of Batsheba Greer, the lead plaintiff in case of the Yale Five.
Greer was born in New York City
to Moses and Angele Greer. Angele was a native of Egypt and a graduate of the University of Paris
. Moses was a graduate of City College of New York
and a wholesale wool resaler. His parents were both Modern Orthodox Jews and Greer grew-up attending day school. He went to high school at the Manhattan Talmudical Academy.
Greer attended college at Princeton University
where for his first two years he would eat alone in his room so he could have kosher food. He spent his junior year studying at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
after which he switched from being a biology to being a near eastern studies major. After graduating from Yale Greer spent a year studying talmud and related subjects under Joseph Soloveitchik
.
Greer then entered Yale Law School
where he was roommates with Jerry Brown
. Other members of his Yale Law class included Gary Hart
and Michael Horowitz
. After graduating Greer worked for a short time at a Wall Street Law firm, but quickly moved into the administration of John V. Lindsay. He initially was an examining attorney for the Commissioner of Investigations, then general counsel and later Deputy Commissioner for Ports and Terminals.
During this time he also became affiliated with the Save Soviet Jewry movement and was one of the moving figures in getting the United States State Department to intervene in the Leonid Rigerman case. In 1971 he married Sarah Bergman, a Jewish day school teacher.
In 1972 Greer ran against incumbent Richard Gottfried
for the Democrat nomination for the state assembly in one of the Upper West Side Manhattan districts. Both candidates tried to project themselves as running on a campaign plank for McGovern and Peace. However Greer was becoming disenchanted with the welfare state and even more so with Lindsay's community control of schools which led to the firing of many Jewish teachers to make room for African-American ones.
In 1973 Greer and his wife went to Israel with work permits and plans to make aliyah
. They arrived in time to be there through the Yom Kippur War
. Greer apprenticed in law under Eliyahu Lenkin, the man who captained the Altalena which (according to some) was sunk on the orders of David Ben-Gurion
while Yitzah Rabin led a charge killing those on the shore who sought to aid the Altalena crew to safety. Greer also studied to be ordained a rabbi with Yehoshua Neuwirth
. Greer's wife Sarah studied under Nehama Leibowitz. Their first son, Dov, was also born in Israel.
After moving to New Haven the Greers established an orthodox day school because there was not a sufficiently religious one in New Haven. Greer continued to work as a lawyer for 14 years. Daniel Greer also served as a time as the New Haven City Police Commissioner.
Over the years the Greers expanded their day school in to a full Yeshiva with both an elementary school and boys and girls high schools. He also formed various organizations to redevelop the neighborhood were his Yeshiva was located, including fighting the prostitution in the neighbrohood.
Greers children went to Yale. After the change in policy in 1995 that required even students with families in New Haven to live on campus he sought an exemption for his daughter Batsheva on the grounds that living in co-ed dorms that freely distributed condoms, had lectures on safe sex and co-ed bathrooms were incompatible with Orthodox Judaism. Yale refused to cooperate, so the Greers paid the rent on a room their daughter never even entered. In December 1997 Batsheba and three others brought a suit against Yale. The fifth of the Yale five had married three months earier than planned to avoid having to follow Yale's rules.
Greer also organized the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol to cut down on crime in the Edgewood Park
neighborhood of New Haven. This was done because the renovating of the neighborhood had not fully worked. Yet for reasons that are not understood the Anti-defamation league of Connecticut attacked these Jews and their allies carrying weapons to defend their neghborhood. Greer and his fellow patrolers have earned the moniker "Modern Maccabees". As of 2007 he and his son Eliezer were seeking the ouster of New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz.
Greer was born in New York City
New 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...
to Moses and Angele Greer. Angele was a native of Egypt and a graduate of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. Moses was a graduate of City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and a wholesale wool resaler. His parents were both Modern Orthodox Jews and Greer grew-up attending day school. He went to high school at the Manhattan Talmudical Academy.
Greer attended college at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
where for his first two years he would eat alone in his room so he could have kosher food. He spent his junior year studying at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
after which he switched from being a biology to being a near eastern studies major. After graduating from Yale Greer spent a year studying talmud and related subjects under Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty....
.
Greer then entered Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
where he was roommates with Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
. Other members of his Yale Law class included Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
and Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz
*For the British poet, see Michael Horovitz.*For the U.S. electrical engineer see Michael J. HorowitzMichael Horowitz is an American author and archivist in San Francisco....
. After graduating Greer worked for a short time at a Wall Street Law firm, but quickly moved into the administration of John V. Lindsay. He initially was an examining attorney for the Commissioner of Investigations, then general counsel and later Deputy Commissioner for Ports and Terminals.
During this time he also became affiliated with the Save Soviet Jewry movement and was one of the moving figures in getting the United States State Department to intervene in the Leonid Rigerman case. In 1971 he married Sarah Bergman, a Jewish day school teacher.
In 1972 Greer ran against incumbent Richard Gottfried
Richard Gottfried
Richard N. Gottfried is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from Manhattan representing the 75th District in the New York State Assembly for over forty years, making him the longest-serving member of that body.-Early life and career:...
for the Democrat nomination for the state assembly in one of the Upper West Side Manhattan districts. Both candidates tried to project themselves as running on a campaign plank for McGovern and Peace. However Greer was becoming disenchanted with the welfare state and even more so with Lindsay's community control of schools which led to the firing of many Jewish teachers to make room for African-American ones.
In 1973 Greer and his wife went to Israel with work permits and plans to make aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
. They arrived in time to be there through the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
. Greer apprenticed in law under Eliyahu Lenkin, the man who captained the Altalena which (according to some) was sunk on the orders of David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
while Yitzah Rabin led a charge killing those on the shore who sought to aid the Altalena crew to safety. Greer also studied to be ordained a rabbi with Yehoshua Neuwirth
Yehoshua Neuwirth
Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth is an eminent Orthodox Jewish rabbi and posek in Jerusalem, Israel. He is one of the primary and most renowned students of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and the author of a two-volume Hebrew language treatise, Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah — translated into English...
. Greer's wife Sarah studied under Nehama Leibowitz. Their first son, Dov, was also born in Israel.
After moving to New Haven the Greers established an orthodox day school because there was not a sufficiently religious one in New Haven. Greer continued to work as a lawyer for 14 years. Daniel Greer also served as a time as the New Haven City Police Commissioner.
Over the years the Greers expanded their day school in to a full Yeshiva with both an elementary school and boys and girls high schools. He also formed various organizations to redevelop the neighborhood were his Yeshiva was located, including fighting the prostitution in the neighbrohood.
Greers children went to Yale. After the change in policy in 1995 that required even students with families in New Haven to live on campus he sought an exemption for his daughter Batsheva on the grounds that living in co-ed dorms that freely distributed condoms, had lectures on safe sex and co-ed bathrooms were incompatible with Orthodox Judaism. Yale refused to cooperate, so the Greers paid the rent on a room their daughter never even entered. In December 1997 Batsheba and three others brought a suit against Yale. The fifth of the Yale five had married three months earier than planned to avoid having to follow Yale's rules.
Greer also organized the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol to cut down on crime in the Edgewood Park
Edgewood Park Historic District
Edgewood Park Historic District is a historic district in New Haven, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In 1986, it included 231 contributing buildings, 4 other contributing structures, and 1 contributing object....
neighborhood of New Haven. This was done because the renovating of the neighborhood had not fully worked. Yet for reasons that are not understood the Anti-defamation league of Connecticut attacked these Jews and their allies carrying weapons to defend their neghborhood. Greer and his fellow patrolers have earned the moniker "Modern Maccabees". As of 2007 he and his son Eliezer were seeking the ouster of New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz.
Sources
- Samuel G. FreedmanSamuel G. FreedmanSamuel G. Freedman is an American author and journalist and currently a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has authored six nonfiction books, including most recently Who She Was, a book about his mother's life as a teenager and young woman, and Letters to a Young...
. Jew Vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000) p. 231-263. - Jewish Student Press service article on Yale housing dispute
- Aug 26, 2009 Ha'aretz article on Greer