Friday, February 13, 2009

AN OBITUARY for Rabbi Dr. Joseph M. Baumgarten has been published by Rabbi Moshe Shuvalsky in the Baltimore Jewish Times. Excerpt:
He was awarded a scholarship to the Graduate School of Johns Hopkins University and received his Doctorate in Mathematics in 1954. Rabbi Baumgarten was a post graduate of Ner Israel Rabbinical College from 1950-53, and entered the bond of matrimony in 1954 with his late Rebbitzin Dr. Naomi Z”L, (daughter of the late Rabbi Alex Shlomo Rosenberg, the founding director of Kashrus of “OU”). Rabbi Baumgarten was the director of the department of Hebrew at Ner Israel for a few years.

Prof. William F. Albright of the Johns Hopkins University, hearing what Dr. Baumgarten had to say about “Dead Sea Scrolls” in the possession of the famous eminent Professor, Dr. Albright declared that Dr. Baumgarten is an authentic Archaeologist. The pen of Dr. Baumgarten published hundreds of papers pertaining to this aforementioned scholarly subject.

Rabbi Dr. Baumgarten held the chair as Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Baltimore Hebrew University for more than half of a century and through his teachings and actions succeeded to inspire numerous students to observe the precepts of the Torah. For more than fifty years, Rabbi Baumgarten served as the beloved spiritual leader of the B’nei Jacob Congregation.
Background here and here.