Dr. Nissenbaum was raised as an Orthodox Jew and continued his extensive religious
education through Yeshiva University. This culminated in his being certified by that
institution as qualified to be a Hebrew School Principal (See below). He had a lifelong devotion to his religion and to
the State of Israel. During the War of Independence in the late 1940s, he worked
secretly to assist the Irgun (which was later incorporated into the Mossad, the modern
Israeli Intelligence service). The story of his involvement is recounted in the Eulogy
located elsewhere on this web site.
In 1972, he was awarded the Bernard Revel Award in Arts and
Sciences by Yeshiva University for alumni who have achieved recognition in arts and
science, in community leadership, and in religion and religious education. (See Awards).
He was a Vice President of the Yeshiva of Hudson County and ceaselessly donated his time
and effort to assist the Yeshiva (K-12) and his synagogue. Finally, he was a passionate
amateur archeologist and was fascinated with the digs in the Holy Land. Dr. Nissenbaum would collect works of literature
on the subject and expound on the latest discoveries at the familys annual Passover
Seders. |