David Bergstein to Dedicate New Torah Scroll in Honor of "Trail-Blazing" Father
Summary
“Even as his son, David, who majored in pre-med and minored in math at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (now NYU) before attending law school at Cardozo University, has made business and finance his primary career, he is nonetheless deeply committed to education and the perpetuation of Jewish values from generation to generation.” Polish-born Leonard Bergstein who, after surviving the Holocaust, pursued his academic studies in Germany, Canada and the United States, was counted among the post-World War II “founding fathers” of integration in numerous fields of science and technology.Its diverse curriculum includes classes, lectures, films, workshops and seminars covering a broad range of Jewish subjects -- catering to all levels from beginner to scholar.Leaders of Chabad of the Conejo report that the final letters of the Leonard Bergstein Torah were recently inscribed by a “Sofer” (a qualified and ordained Hebrew scribe) at David Bergstein’s home in Hidden Hills, as David looked on and even held the Sofer’s writing hand to ceremoniously complete the final letters together, in unison.A community dedication celebration inducting the new Torah into the Center for Jewish Life has been slated for March 11, 2018, to coincide with the tenth yahrtzeit, or anniversary, of the late Dr. Bergstein’s passing.“Leonard Bergstein was a kind and brilliant man who dedicated his life to innovation, invention and the dissemination of deeper knowledge,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski, Director of Chabad of the Conejo and Dean of the Bergstein Conejo Jewish Academy.“Even as his son, David, who majored in pre-med and minored in math at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (now NYU) before attending law school at Cardozo University, has made business and finance his primary career, he is nonetheless deeply committed to education and the perpetuation of Jewish values from generation to generation.”Polish-born Leonard Bergstein who, after surviving the Holocaust, pursued his academic studies in Germany, Canada and the United States, was counted among the post-World War II “founding fathers” of integration in numerous fields of science and technology.His expertise in optics, electronics and lasers made him sought after by American and Israeli tech companies throughout many sectors including those specializing in space exploration, lens development and barcode laser scanning.In addition to his professorships at City College of New York, the Polytechnic Institute, Technion and the Israel Institute of Technology, Leonard Bergstein was reputed for his almost encyclopedic knowledge of Jewish texts, including the Talmud and other great works of Jewish law, history and philosophy.“My dad was a proud Jew, a prolific Torah scholar and a gem of a human being who contributed a great deal to this world,” said son, David Bergstein.