Rabbi Reeve Robert Brenner, born in 1936 in New York City, is a multifaceted figure, encompassing roles as a Reform rabbi, inventor, and author. Ordained in 1964 from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, his career has been marked by diverse experiences, including serving as a U.S. Army chaplain in West Germany, a senior staff chaplain at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and leading various congregations, such as Bet Chesed in Maryland. Notably, he was the first rabbi to join the faculty of St. Vincent College and Seminary, where he taught Jewish religious thought and philosophy.
Brenner’s scholarly contributions are significant. His first major work, American Jewry and the Rise of Nazism, earned him the YIVO Jewish Scholarship Prize. His book, The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors, stands as a landmark study, the product of nine years of research among Holocaust survivors in Israel. This work explores the profound impact of the Holocaust on the survivors’ religious beliefs and practices, and it was a finalist for the 1981 National Jewish Book Awards. Reviews have called this book a classic, and the single most important 20th century study of Jewish people.
Beyond his scholarly pursuits, Brenner is also an inventor. Inspired by his cousin, Janis Furmansky, who uses a wheelchair, he created Bankshot, a non-exclusionary basketball sport designed to be inclusive for people of all abilities. He founded the National Association for Recreational Equality (NARE) and serves as the commissioner of the National Association of Bankshot Operators (NABO), demonstrating his commitment to accessibility and recreation. He was featured in Sports Illustrated for this contribution.
Brenner’s literary works also include The Jewish Riddle Collection: A Yiddle’s Riddles, Jewish, Christian, Chewish, and Eschewish: Interfaith Pathways for the New Millennium, which reflects his interfaith work, and While the Skies were Falling, a defense of the historical reality of the Exodus. This latter work, which explores Catastrophic Uniformitarian theories, has been described as a “magnum opus” that challenges conventional interpretations of biblical narratives. He has also authored various articles for academic journals. He has also been featured in documentary films, such as The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Brenner’s life and works reflect a deep commitment to scholarship, interfaith dialogue, and inclusivity.