Overview: Rabbi Dovid Moshe Lieberman (14 April 1925 – 26 January 2022) was an Orthodox rabbi who served as the Chief Rabbi of Antwerp, Belgium, and as the Av Beit Din (head of the rabbinical court) of the Shomrei Hadass Jewish community in Antwerp. He was also one of the founders of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) and served in rabbinic positions in several Jewish communities before settling permanently in Antwerp.
Early Life
Dovid Moshe Lieberman was born on 14 April 1925 in Cologne (Köln), Germany. His parents were Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Lieberman and Sarah Hinda Lieberman (née Lipshitz), Jewish immigrants from Poland. His father worked as a diamond merchant.
When he was approximately one year old, his family moved from Germany to Antwerp, Belgium, where he grew up. He studied at the Jesode-Hatora Beth-Jacob school in Antwerp and later continued his Torah education in yeshivot.
Torah Education
From a young age, Lieberman studied traditional Jewish texts and became known within Orthodox circles for his abilities in Torah learning.
At the age of ten, he began studying at Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Heide, Belgium, despite being younger than the usual entrance age. There he studied under Rabbi Shraga Feivel Shapira.
During his youth, he developed connections with leading rabbinic figures and continued his studies within the Lithuanian and Hasidic Torah traditions that existed among Belgian Jewry before and after the Second World War.
World War II
During the Second World War, Belgium was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jewish community of Antwerp suffered persecution, deportations, and destruction.
Rabbi Lieberman survived the Holocaust period and remained connected to the rebuilding of Jewish religious life in Antwerp after the war. The postwar Jewish community of Antwerp became one of the largest centers of Orthodox Judaism in Western Europe.
Rabbinic Career
After completing his rabbinic studies, Rabbi Lieberman began serving Jewish communities in Europe and North America.
Before returning permanently to Antwerp, he served as a rabbi in Jewish communities including Detroit and Chicago in the United States.
He later returned to Belgium, where he became one of the leading rabbinic figures of Antwerp's Orthodox Jewish community.
Chief Rabbi of Antwerp
Rabbi Lieberman served for many years as the Chief Rabbi and Av Beit Din of the Shomrei Hadass community in Antwerp.
The Shomrei Hadass community is one of the major Orthodox Jewish communities in Antwerp, a city that became an important center of Jewish religious life after World War II. As chief rabbi, Lieberman was involved in matters of Jewish law, religious institutions, and communal affairs.
His responsibilities included overseeing the rabbinical court, addressing questions of Jewish law, and representing the Orthodox Jewish community in communal and public matters.
Rabbinical Centre of Europe
Rabbi Lieberman was among the founders of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE), an organization established to strengthen cooperation between Orthodox rabbis throughout Europe.
The organization worked on issues affecting Jewish communities across Europe, including religious services, kosher supervision, Jewish education, and communal cooperation. Rabbi Lieberman served as one of its senior rabbinic figures.
Relationship with Chabad
Rabbi Lieberman was associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and served as a representative of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in his communal work.
His rabbinic activity included cooperation with Jewish communities beyond Antwerp and efforts to strengthen Jewish religious life throughout Europe.
Family
Rabbi Dovid Moshe Lieberman was married to Chaya Lieberman (née Chitrik). They had three children.
His wife's family was connected to Chabad and Hasidic circles. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, Chief Rabbi of Turkey, is among his relatives.
Recognition
In 2011, Rabbi Lieberman was appointed an Officer in the Order of Leopold, one of Belgium's national honors, in recognition of his communal contributions.
Death and Burial
Rabbi Dovid Moshe Lieberman died on 26 January 2022 (24 Shevat 5782) in Antwerp at the age of 96.
He was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Israel.
Legacy
Rabbi Dovid Moshe Lieberman was one of the leading Orthodox rabbinic figures in postwar Antwerp. His decades of leadership contributed to the continuation of Orthodox Jewish institutions in Belgium and to cooperation between Jewish communities throughout Europe.
He is remembered primarily for his role as Chief Rabbi of Antwerp, head of the Shomrei Hadass rabbinical court, and as a founder of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe.
Profile Archive
