Frederick Behrends

Beth El Synagogue extends condolences on the death of Frederick Otten Behrends (1934-2025), Yehudah ben Avraham, known as Fred among his many community and shul friends. Fred passed away peacefully at his home in Chapel Hill, just before midnight on Wednesday, 7 Cheshvan 5786 (29 October 2025).

Fred was a pillar of the Orthodox Kehillah for four decades and its main Torah lecturer for 25 years. He was a model of Jewish learning, and his home library served on Saturday afternoon as a heder for Talmud study. A professor of history at UNC Chapel Hill from the young age of 28, he was an incomparable Latinist and a medievalist of international reputation, as well as a talented pianist and an art collector.

A native of Wilmington who settled in Chapel Hill, he was beloved by non-Jewish and Jewish Southerners and had close friends in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. All admired his uncompromising integrity, his intense love of learning, and his generous friendship.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, October 31, at the Durham Hebrew Cemetery.