Haim Hillel Ben-Sasson (; 1914 in Valozhyn – 16 May 1977 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

) was an Israeli historian, a professor in the Department of

Jewish History Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

. His area of expertise was the history of Jews in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, along with issues concerning the history of Jews in Eretz Yisrael during the

modern period The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

Biography

Chaim Hillel Ben-Sasson was born in Volozhin to Fraydel (whose name was Hebraized and gave rise to the surname he and his brother adopted in Israel) and Rabbi Shmuel Avigdor HaLevi Darchinsky, a Rosh Mesivta in the Volozhin Yeshiva in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. On his mother’s side, he was the grandson of Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried, deputy head of the Volozhin Yeshiva and a descendant of its leaders. He received his Rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Even in his youth, he was active in public life, organizing the HaHalutz HaMizrachi ("Mizrachi Pioneer" movement). Ben-Sasson immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in 1934. He studied at the Mizrachi Teachers' Seminary (now the Lifshitz College of Education) and taught in various educational frameworks for children and youth in

. He also volunteered in the youth movement Bnei Akiva and in the Yavneh Olami student union. Upon his arrival in Eretz Yisrael, Ben-Sasson enlisted in the " Haganah" organization; during the Arab Riots of 1936, he served in the "religious platoon" in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, and later in the Haganah’s Information Office in Jerusalem. According to his student Robert Bonfil, "He remained connected to the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

until his last day and contributed to study meetings at the high command level. He participated in frameworks for discussion and analysis of important contemporary issues." His involvement in modern Jewish militarism was also reflected in his contributions to the writing and editing of the ''History of the Haganah'' under the general editorship of Prof. Ben-Zion Dinur, despite his primary focus on the

, he dedicated himself to the research and historical description of the Jewish Legion in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He passed away in Jerusalem on 16 May 1977.

Academic career

After his studies at the seminary, he enrolled at the Hebrew University. Ben-Sasson was a student of historian Yitzhak Baer. He specialized in the history of the Jewish people during the Middle Ages and the early

. He earned his humanities degree in 1944. Ben-Sasson began teaching at the university in 1949 and was appointed a

full professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

at the

in 1970. He was a popular teacher, and several of his students went on to pursue advanced degrees. In addition to his numerous and varied research works, Ben-Sasson was an editor of the journal Zion and the historical section of the

Encyclopaedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a multi-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, Jewish holida ...

. Ben-Sasson viewed historical research,

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

, and the interest in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

as essential spiritual work for strengthening one’s character and improving society. He expressed these views in his writings: This characteristic statement directly appealed to his generation and readers to delve into the study of history and understand that historical writing is akin to the "book of humanity." In an era increasingly oriented towards the technologization of daily life, where the isolated individual, lacking the burden of generations and culture, is portrayed by thinkers and mass communication, Ben-Sasson's call was that of a rebellious educator with great spirit. According to him, the study and writing of history are imbued with the idea that revolution is always possible; engaging with history saves people from the mere functionalism of contemporary existence; historiography identifies and illuminates periods of transition and moments of change, thus highlighting the potential for transformation. Ben-Sasson also emphasized the importance of history due to his view of

human history Human history or world history is the record of humankind from prehistory to the present. Early modern human, Modern humans evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago and initially lived as hunter-gatherers. They Early expansions of hominin ...

and national history as a phenomenon with multiple and seemingly contradictory aspects; yet, he believed, historians could reveal overarching trends. For example, Ben-Sasson viewed the phenomenon of

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

dom as a form of Kiddush Hashem, where Jews chose to die or even commit suicide rather than convert to a pagan or

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

faith, a common act among Jews in Eretz Yisrael and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

since antiquity, as an act of strength and human courage. In the circumstances of a national liberation movement, this bravery would manifest in the gathering of armed forces, the establishment of an

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, and organized combat. In other words, Ben-Sasson saw a psychological commonality and a direct principle linking the seemingly passive Jewish martyrs of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

to the active, militarized Jewish soldiers of the "Jewish Legion" in his own time. His student, Prof. Yosef Haker, wrote about his methodology: "In his research and books, Ben-Sasson consistently investigates and seeks the inner essence based on analysis and clarification of diverse primary sources. These sources include primarily literary works, philosophical treatises, and halachic writings; homilies, commentaries, and questions and answers; historical texts and polemical writings; poetry and prose; decrees and letters; ethical books and Talmudic novellae. External documents and sources provided the basis for factual description and sometimes filled gaps in the spiritual and cultural picture; however, Ben-Sasson’s main focus was on clarifying the inner creative work and testimony of the Jewish community and its character. … His guiding questions indicate his search for understanding what unifies and distinguishes the Jewish people (in all its shades and sects) from other nations."

Family

His younger brother, Yonah Ben-Sasson, was a lecturer in Jewish philosophy and the director of the Department of Torah Culture in the Ministry of Education. His nephew, Menachem Ben-Sasson, is a professor of

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

, the President of the

, a former Rector, and a former Member of Knesset and Chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Selected works

Books by Ben-Sasson

* ''Thought and Leadership: The Social Views of Polish Jews in the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

'', Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, 1959. * ''German Jewry'', srael IDF - Chief Education Officer - Education Division, 1963. * ''Chapters in the History of Jews in the Middle Ages'', Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 1957, 1962, 1977.Pinhchas Peli, "The Young Historian - Oral and Written," Maariv, December 19, 1958, p. 13. * ''Continuity and Change: Studies in Jewish History in the Middle Ages and Modern Times''; collected and edited by Yosef Haker, Tel Aviv, Am Oved, 1984. * ''The History of the Jewish Legion in World War I'', Tel Aviv: Zionist Library; IDF - Military, 1956. * (Co-editor) ''The History of the Jews: (Album of the History of the Jewish People)'', Jerusalem: The Publishing Institute in Israel, 1964. * (Co-editor) ''The History of the Jewish People'', 3 volumes, Tel Aviv: Dvir Publishing 1969.

Edited works

* ''The Book of Kavod Elohim'', by Avraham Ibn Migash (Constantinople, 1485), Jerusalem: National Library, 1977. * ''Dictionary of Political Terms'', Tel Aviv: M. Newman, 1950. * ''From the Center to the Community in Place'', Jerusalem: Zalman Shazar Center, 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Sasson, Haim Hillel 1914 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Spanish historians Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Israeli medievalists