(Courtesy of Yeshiva University) Yeshiva University is deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic passing of Rabbi Ozer Glickman, z”l, on March 19, 2018. Rabbi Glickman was a Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and taught at Sy Syms School of Business, Isaac Breuer College (IBC) and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he served as senior resident rabbinic scholar, adjunct professor of law at the Center for the Study of Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization and was affiliated with its Program in Jewish Law and Interdisciplinary Studies.
A seat in one of his classes was highly sought-after by students; his two current classes, “Business and Jewish Law” at Sy Syms and “Jewish Values in the Contemporary World” at IBC have enrolled almost 100 students. He was dedicated to his students, which they reciprocated by honoring him in 2015 with the Professor Peter Lencsis Adjunct Professor of the Year award at Sy Syms. “Rabbi Glickman was an enormous Torah scholar, someone who spanned fields and disciplines,” said YU President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman. “Most of all he was a devoted teacher.”
“The loss, both personal and to the community, is enormous,” said Jesse Abelman, a student in his Yoreh Da’ah shiur at RIETS. “Rabbi Glickman’s method of the teaching of halacha was meticulous and unusual. His kindness and generosity of spirit were evident in everything he did. Conversation with him was never a waste. I always learned something new and valuable, and his interest in my work was always genuine and helpful. I will miss him very much.”
Rabbi Glickman received his BA in philosophy from Columbia University and pursued graduate studies in philosophy and religion at the University of Toronto. He also held an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University where he was a University Fellow. Rabbi Glickman studied at Yeshivat Merkaz ha-Rav and received rabbinic ordination from leading rabbinic figures in Israel and the diaspora.
He was active both on and off the YU campus. Last December, he led a panel discussion at the Student Medical Ethics Society conference, on “The Ethics of Neurotechnologies.” In 2015, he spoke at conference for participants in the Orthodox Union Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC), delivering a lecture titled, “Modeling Intellectual Orthodoxy in a PC Secular Environment.” On that occasion, he noted, “This is a topic very close to my heart and mind, and these talented men are on the front lines of our community’s ongoing struggle to maintain fidelity to Jewish tradition while engaging with secular culture. Engaging with them was inspiring.”
Rabbi Glickman is survived by his wife, Ilana, and their children, Dov, Dalia, Ron, Maya, Avigayil and Oren.
Shiva will be observed through Monday morning, March 26, at the Glickman home at 583 Warwick Avenue, Teaneck, New Jersey. May his family find comfort among all who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.
