Marcel Lindenbaum, a former leader of the Ohr Torah Stone yeshiva network and one of the founders of Midreshet Lindenbaum, passed away last week.
Marcel and his wife, the late Belda Lindenbaum, led and promoted the field of Torah study for women in Israel and abroad over the years. They lived in New York City.
Founder and head of the Ohr Torah Stone network, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, said that "Marcel was a noble man, modest and honest, a visionary leader whose beliefs and actions changed the historical course of modern Orthodoxy."
"Marcel was an ardent supporter of modern orthodoxy in the full sense of the term, pursuing justice and compassion, who pioneered the camp in order to integrate women into key positions of Torah study and nurturing leadership.
"Thanks to the Lindenbaum couple, women learning Torah at a high level has become a fait accompli accepted not only at Midreshet Lindenbaum, but throughout the world," noted Rabbi Riskin.
Ohr Torah Stone issued a statement on Lindenbaum's passing: "OTS has been blessed by Marcel’s guidance and partnership for over three decades. In particular, the establishment and expansion of our Midreshet Lindenbaum College for Women, which continues to forge groundbreaking paths for Modern Orthodox women all over the world, will forever bear testament to Marcel and Belda’s pioneering foresight."
"We embrace and extend our deepest condolences to the entire Lindenbaum family: Nathan and Shari Lindenbaum, Bennett and Rebecca Lindenbaum, Matthew and Ray Lindenbaum, Victoria and Ben Feder, Abigail and Shai Tambor, and all of your children. May you always find comfort in the knowledge that Jewish religious leadership is far richer and more just and meaningful because of the revolution that he and your beloved mother, of blessed memory, have wrought."