Menachem Friedman

Menachem Friedman (Hebrew: מנחם פרידמן‎‎; born 1936) is an Israeli Emeritus Professor of sociology at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan. He explores the field of religion and the confrontations between religious and secular Judaism in modern history. He also studies the modern process of Halachic decision making.

Together with Samuel Heilman, Friedman authored "The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson". Many of the authors' conclusions, as well as their methodology and research were later criticized by some scholars including Chaim Rapoport in a book titled " "The Afterlife of Scholarship - A Critical Review of 'The Rebbe' by Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman". Friedman was also criticised for not disclosing that he had served as an expert witness against the rebbe in a lawsuit involving ownership of the Chabad library, which invites suspicion of an agenda-driven or biased opinion.