I only met YHY twice: the first time for an hour in his office at Columbia: he smoked the entire time and was gracious, friendly and warm. And the second time when I delivered my book to him at his home (despite his having told me to just send it via mail). At that point, he was hooked up to oxygen and not looking so healthy. I handed him the book, apologized and quickly left.
His book Freud's Moses: Judaism Terminable and Interminable changed my life. It had already begun changing my life when I discovered that he was friends with my my mother's parents, Ruben and Elsa Farro, and that my mother had a crush on him--she was about 12 years old--when he was the rabbi at their synagogue back in 1952 or thereabouts...
I raced to finish writing my book in the hopes that it would be published while he was still alive. It was published. And now he has passed on to somewhere else.
Last night I had a dream that my father passed away. It took me awhile to wake up today and sort through what was a dream and what was reality. Thankfully, I received a phonecall from my father about an hour ago: he is still amongst the living. But something changed last night. In the world. In my psyche. In the air.
Yit'gadal v'yit'kadash...
From: Jonathan D. Sarna [mailto:sarna@brandeis.edu]
Sent: Tue 12/8/2009 4:33 PM
Subject: Passing of Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
We mourn the passing of the pre-eminent Jewish historian, Yosef Hayim
Yerushalmi (1932-2009), who died today following a lengthy illness.
Yerushalmi served as the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish
History, Culture and Society at Columbia from 1980-2008. Before then,
he taught for fourteen years at Harvard, where he rose to become the
Jacob E. Safra Professor of Jewish History, Culture, and Society.
Yerushalmi was one of the most creative and influential Jewish
historians of his day. His wide-ranging books -- From Spanish Court
to Italian Ghetto, Haggadah and History, Zakhor, and Freud's Moses
-- generated significant discussion and paved new areas of scholarly
investigation. He also personally trained a generation of creative
Jewish historians, most of whom contributed to the important
festschrift in his honor, Jewish History and Jewish Memory. That
volume featured an illuminating article by David Myers entitled "Of
Marranos and Memory: Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi and the Writing of Jewish
History," which is now available online at
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/myers/CV/Of_Marranos_and_Memory.pdf.
David Myers sent the following announcement concerning Yerushalmi's passing:
Dear Friends,
It is with deep sadness that I pass on the news of the death of
Professor Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi a few hours ago. Yosef had been
suffering from multiple illnesses in recent years and months, and his
long struggle has come to a peaceful end. I need not belabor the point
that he was the towering Jewish historian of his generation, as well as
an inspired teacher and revered mentor.
There will be a private funeral service tomorrow on Long Island. The
family has asked friends not to call until after the funeral and the
family's return to Manhattan on Thursday. Details about shiva and
visiting hours will be forthcoming.
May Yosef's memory be for a blessing to his family, friends, and all
those privileged to have had him as a teacher.
Sincerely,
David Myers
We extend our deepest condolences to the family.
Jonathan D. Sarna
Chair, H-Judaic
.
Posts
