David M. Posner

David M. Posner (November 4, 1947 - October 19, 2018) was an American rabbi who led the flagship reform temple,[1] Temple Emanu-El, in New York, NY for 40 years as a congregational rabbi. He died from complications of Alzheimer's disease[2]

Rabbi David M. Posner
BornNovember 4, 1947
Brooklyn, NY
DiedOctober 19, 2018
New York, NY
NationalityAmerican
OccupationRabbi
Years active1973 - 2018
Known forCongressional Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El, New York

Posner was a scholar of comparative Semitic languages, including Aramaic and Syriac.[2]

Biography

Posner was born in Atlantic City to Ralph and Doris (Silver) Posner. His mother was a homemaker who later became a schoolteacher. His father was an executive at a shipping logistics company. When he was a child, the family moved to Brownsville, Brooklyn, where he attended Meyer Levin Junior High School and Samuel J. Tilden High.[2]

Immediately following his ordination from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1973, Posner joined the rabbinical staff of Temple Emanu-El. Known as the consummate congregational rabbi,[3] the New York Times wrote that he was "a thoughtful, meticulous man, not a showboat", and that "rather than forming institutes or posing with politicians, he liked to stay at the temple — his battle station, as he called it — waiting for his congregants to call."[4] In 1998, he received the Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa[5] from Hebrew Union College.

Awards and recognition
  • 2007, ranked 23rd most influential rabbi in America in Newsweek's Top 50 Rabbis in America[6]
  • 2014, received Dr. Bernard Heller Prize from Hebrew Union College - Institute of Religion[7]

References
  1. "Rabbi David Posner, who served 40 years at flagship NYC Reform temple, dies at 70". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  2. Otterman, Sharon (2018-10-21). "David Posner, Senior Rabbi of Flagship Reform Synagogue, Dies at 70". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  3. Lipman, Steve. "The Consummate Congregational Rabbi". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  4. Otterman, Sharon (2012-09-14). "On Sundays, Rabbi David Posner Skips Lunch and Tickles the Ivories". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  5. "Rabbi David M. Posner '73, z"l". Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  6. "The Top 50 Rabbis in America :: CIJR Databank". databank.isranet.org. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  7. "Rabbi David M. Posner, Ph.D., Recieves [sic] 2014 Dr. Bernard Heller Prize from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion". Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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