Rabbi Ozer Glickman (1953–2018) | Age: 64

Rabbi Ozer Glickman was a uniquely multifaceted intellectual giant, Talmudic scholar, and corporate executive. For nearly two decades, he served as a beloved Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University (YU).

What made Rabbi Glickman highly distinctive in the modern Orthodox landscape was his ability to seamlessly straddle the worlds of elite, traditional Talmudic analysis (Lomdus) and high-stakes Wall Street finance, corporate risk management, and secular academia.

Key Biographical Details

• Born: December 14, 1953.

• Died: March 19, 2018 (3 Nisan 5778).

• Education & Ordination: He received his rabbinic ordination (Semikhah) from RIETS, where he was a prized student of some of the generation's greatest halakhic minds, including Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.

• Secular Academics: He held a B.A. in Philosophy from Columbia University, an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU, and pursued doctoral studies in European History at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

The Dual Career: Torah and Wall Street

Rabbi Glickman rejected the notion that strict adherence to Torah required isolation from the professional or academic world. He lived his life as a premier embodiment of YU's philosophy of Torah Umadda (Torah and Secular Knowledge).

1. The Financial Executive

Before and during his tenure as a Rosh Yeshiva, he spent over 25 years in senior positions within the financial services industry. He specialized in corporate governance, strategic risk management, and fixed-income derivatives. He served as the Global Head of Corporate Risk Management for major institutions and consultant companies, managing complex financial portfolios through volatile economic eras.

2. The Rosh Yeshiva and Professor

In 2000, he joined the faculty of Yeshiva University, where his impact was immediate and widespread:

• Talmudic Discourse: He delivered daily advanced Talmudic lectures (Shiurim) at RIETS, known for their rigorous intellectual depth and structural clarity.

• Synergistic Teaching: He served as an Adjunct Professor at YU’s Sy Syms School of Business and Cardozo School of Law, teaching highly specialized courses on Business Ethics, Jewish Law (Halakha), and American Legal Theory. He was uniquely qualified to show where ancient talmudic law intersected with modern secular financial regulation.

Personality, Intellectual Integrity, and Social Media

Rabbi Glickman possessed a rare, brilliant, and deeply authentic personality that resonated powerfully with a younger generation of students.

• The Digital Public Square: In his later years, he became famous for utilizing social media (especially Facebook) to engage in thoughtful, nuanced public writing. He didn't shy away from controversial or complex issues facing the Orthodox community, addressing them with profound empathy, intellectual honesty, and a lack of dogmatism.

• Radical Accessibility: He was renowned for his open-door policy. Students from all backgrounds—whether searching for guidance in advanced Talmud, trying to navigate corporate careers on Wall Street, or dealing with deep crises of faith—found an unconditionally supportive mentor in him.

Grave Location

• Cemetery: Eretz HaChaim Cemetery in Bet Shemesh, Israel.

• Burial Context: Rabbi Glickman passed away suddenly in March 2018 at the age of 64, leaving the Yeshiva University community in deep shock and mourning. Following a massive, tearful funeral service at YU's Wilf Campus in New York City, his body was flown to Israel, where he was laid to rest in the holy soil of Bet Shemesh alongside many other prominent American and Israeli Torah scholars.