Bernard Cherrick
British-Israeli rabbi and academic administrator
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Bernard Cherrick (Hebrew: ברנרד צ'ריק; 1914–1988) was a British-Israeli rabbi and academic administrator. He served as the vice-president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He brought many Hollywood celebrities to fundraisers on campus and was nicknamed "Mr. Hebrew University".
Bernard Cherrick | |
|---|---|
ברנרד צ'ריק | |
| Born | 1914 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 22 December 1988 (aged 73–74) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics University of Manchester |
| Occupation | Academic administrator |
Early life
Bernard Cherrick was born in 1914 in Dublin, Ireland.[1] He grew up in England,[1] where he was educated in a yeshiva.[2] He had a sister, Freda Sklan.[1]
Cherrick graduated from the London School of Economics.[1] He earned a master's degree from the University of Manchester in 1937.[3]
Career
In 1939, in the midst of World War II, Cherrick served as a rabbi in the British Expeditionary Force of the British Army.[1][2][4] He also served as the rabbi of the New Synagogue in Stamford Hill, North London.[1] He served as a director of the Jewish National Fund and the United Israel Appeal.[2]
Cherrick made aliyah to join the public relations department of the Hebrew University of Israel in 1947.[1][2] Cherrick was in charge of fundraising for the university.[2] He was asked by Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, to take a speaking tour in Australia, whereby 10% of his speaking fees would go to the university.[2] He made many similar fundraising trips in the next few decades.[2] As early as 1949, he welcomed a US$50,000 fund from philanthropist Louis M. Rabinowitz of Brooklyn, New York City to research synagogues in the Near East.[5]
Cherrick was appointed as the vice-president of the university in 1968.[1] After meeting Harvey Silbert, Cherrick, he convinced Frank Sinatra to donate to the university and endow the construction of the Frank Sinatra International Student Centre on campus.[2] He subsequently invited Hollywood celebrities like Billy Crystal, Gregory Peck, Barbra Streisand, to fundraisers on campus.[2] He became known as "Mr. Hebrew University",[6] until he retired in 1988.[1]
Death and legacy
Cherrick died on 22 December 1988 in Jerusalem, Israel.[1] He is the namesake of HJU's Cherrick Center for the Study of Zionism, the Yishuv and the State of Israel, directed by Hillel Cohen.[6] It organises the monthly Cherrick Forum meetings, also named in his honour.[6]