Shalom Spiegel
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Shalom Spiegel (26 January 1899 – 24 May 1984) was the William Prager Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary from 1944 until his retirement in 1973. He is considered one of the greatest scholars of Judaica of his generation and a leading expert in medieval Hebrew literature. Dr. Spiegel wrote about Jewish legends and the lives of the prophets. His books included "Hebrew Reborn," "Ezekiel or Pseudo-Ezekiel," "Noah, Daniel and Job" and "The Last Trial," a collection of legends about the sacrifice of Isaac.


Biography

Dr. Spiegel was born in 1899 in the town of
Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
, Romania to parents Regina and Simon Spiegel, a tobacco wholesaler. His brother was the film producer
Sam Spiegel Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th century, Spiegel produced films that won the Academy ...
. He studied at Israelitisch-Theologische Lehranstalt (Israelite Theological College) in Vienna and in 1922 received his doctorate from the University of Vienna. For several years he was a youth leader in Ha-Shomer ha-Ẓa'ir, a Zionist youth movement which prepared Jewish youth to live in collectives in Israel. He also taught in various schools in Israel from 1923–29. From 1929 to 1943, Spiegel taught Biblical and Post-Biblical Literature at the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, while also holding the position of librarian. After the death of Israel Davidson he joined the Jewish Theological Seminary as professor of medieval Hebrew literature in 1944. His research concentrated on biblical and medieval Jewish literature, especially the prophets Hosea, Amos, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Job. He extensively researched liturgical poetry (
piyyut A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and most follow some p ...
in Hebrew) and devoted more than fifty years of research creating a definitive edition of the liturgical compositions of Eleazar Kallir. as well as the religious poetry of Kallir's predecessors and contemporaries. He collected material until his death, but never published it. In 1996 Menahem Schmelzer published a volume entitled ''Avot hapiyyut'' (The fathers of the piyyut) from the materials found in Spiegel's literary estate. He was famous for his erudition and thoroughness as well as his beautiful writing style in Hebrew and in English. His ''Hebrew Reborn'' of Jewish men of letters in modern times, is considered a lucid, cultural analysis of the works of the authors it surveys. He also gave attention to the biblical and the medieval periods of Jewish cultural history. ''The Last Trial,'' his study of the reworking of the story of the binding of Isaac ( Akedah) in the Hebrew liturgy of the 12th and 13th centuries is a notable example of his penetrating approach. Among the famous lectures he gave was one on the prophet Amos' view of Judaic tradition of justice in 1957. It was memorable since the audience included former President
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
and Chief Justice
Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...
. According to Spiegel Amos felt that justice was innate in humans and transcended other laws and considerations. He praised Chief Justice Warren as ''a worthy trustee'' of the ''precious cargo'' of human liberty. Largely due to Truman’s urging, the talk was published the following year as a small pamphlet entitled Amos versus Amaziah. Spiegel served as chairman of the educational advisory committee to Hadassah secretary of the Alexander Kohut Memorial Foundation and a trustee of the Israel Matz Foundation. He was active in the Mekize Nirdamim Society, founded in 1862. Spiegel was an avid writer and corresponded with the leading scholars and Jewish intellectuals of the day as well as with many of his former students and colleagues in Israel and New York City. Spiegel was also an acclaimed speaker and schools, synagogues, and congregations across the United States invited him to lecture at their institutions. Some correspondents of note include Alexander Marx,
Gershon Scholem Gershom Scholem (; 5 December 1897 – 21 February 1982) was an Israeli philosopher and historian. Widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kabbalah, Scholem was appointed the first professor of Jewish mysticism at Hebrew Un ...
, Ben Zion Bokser, Moshe Davis, Louis Finkelstein,
Louis Ginzberg Louis Ginzberg (, ''Levy Gintzburg''; , ''Levy Ginzberg''; November 28, 1873 – November 11, 1953) was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, contributing editor to numerous articles of '' The Jewis ...
, S.D. Goitein, Judah Goldin, Abraham Joshua Heshel,
Saul Lieberman Saul Lieberman (; May 28, 1898 – March 23, 1983), also known as Rabbi Shaul Lieberman or, among some of his students, the ''Gra״sh'' (''Gaon Rabbeinu Shaul''), was a rabbi and a Talmudic scholar. He served as Professor of Talmud at the Jewish T ...
, Stephen S. Wise,
Henrietta Szold Henrietta Szold ( , ; December 21, 1860 – February 13, 1945) was an American-born Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. In 1942, she co-founded Ihud, a political party in Mandatory Pal ...
, Israel Davidson, Mordecai M. Kaplan, E. E. Urbach, and Menahem Zulay.


Awards and Memberships

Dr. Spiegel received an honorary doctorate from JTS in 1973. He was a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research In 1983 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Spiegel was a member of the
Society of Biblical Literature The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, the Oriental Society, and an honorary member of the
Academy of the Hebrew Language The Academy of the Hebrew Language (, ''ha-akademyah la-lashon ha-ivrit'') was established by the Israeli government in 1953 as the "supreme institution for scholarship on the Hebrew language in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem of Givat Ram cam ...
.


Archives

The Shalom Spiegel collection is located in a
archive at JTS
and consists of correspondence, handwritten notes, institutional records, copies of lectures, typescripts with notes, manuscripts. It is divided into six series and the following main subjects: * Wise, Stephen Samuel (Person) * Mekize Nirdamim Society (Organization) * Goitein, Shelomo Dov (1900-1985) (Correspondent, Person) * Bialik, Hayyim Nahman (Correspondent, Person) * Marx,
Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...
(Person) * Baron, Salo Wittmayer (Correspondent, Person) * Alexander Kohut Memorial Foundation (Organization) * Truman,
Harry S Harry may refer to: Television *Harry (American TV series), ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin *Harry (British TV series), ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons *Harry (New Zeala ...
. (1884-1972) (Person) * Scholem, Gershom (Person) * Kohut, Alexander (Person) * Agnon, Shmuel Yosef (Correspondent, Person) * Finkelstein,
Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...
(1895-1991) (Person) * Kaufmann, Yehezkel (Correspondent, Person) *
Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
. Board of Directors (Organization) * Urbach, Efraim Elimelech (Correspondent, Person) *
Genizah A genizah (; , also ''geniza''; plural: ''genizot'' 'h''or ''genizahs'') is a storage area in a Judaism, Jewish synagogue or cemetery designated for the temporary storage of worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics prior t ...
(Organization) * Zulay, Menahem (Person) * Jewish Institute of Religion (New York, N.Y.) (Organization) * Israel Matz Foundation (Organization) * Kaplan, Mordecai Menahem, 1881-1983 (Person) * Szold, Henrietta (1860-1945) (Person) * Davidson, Israel (1870-1939) (Person) * Lieberman, Saul (1898-1983) (Person) * Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David) (1890-1969) (Person) * Heschel, Abraham Joshua, 1907-1972 (Person) * Goldin, Judah (Person) * Bokser, Ben Zion (1907-1984) (Person) * Davis, Moshe (Person) * Ginzberg, Louis (1873-1953) (Person) * Spiegel, Sam (Person)


Shalom Spiegel Institute for Medieval Hebrew Literature

In 1996 JTS created the Shalom Spiegel Institute for Medieval Hebrew Literature, with an endowment funded by Dr. Spiegel's late brother,
Sam Spiegel Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th century, Spiegel produced films that won the Academy ...
. The Institute provides fellowships to graduate students in the field, fosters international research projects, and provides access to Spiegel's research materials. Dr. Raymond Scheindlin, professor emeritus of medieval Hebrew literature at JTS, directed the Shalom Spiegel Institute of Medieval Hebrew Poetry. Examples of the research programs are: 2018 The Shalom Spiegel Institute of Medieval Hebrew Literature Seminar in Medieval Hebrew poetry dedicated to the work of Immanuel of Rome. 2019 The Shalom Spiegel Institute Summer Seminar in Medieval Hebrew Poetry dedicated to the work of Abraham Ibn Ezra. 2023 Shalom Spiegel Institute Summer Seminar in Medieval Hebrew Poetry dedicated to the work of Shem Tov b. Joseph ibn Falaquera (ca. 1225-1295). 2024 The Shalom Spiegel Institute Summer Seminar in Medieval Hebrew Poetry dedicated to the work of Qalonymos b. Qalonymos (c. 14th century, Provence/Catalonia/Italian Peninsula)


Selected works by Shalom Spiegel

''The Last Trial: On the Legends and Lore of the Command to Abraham to Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice, the Akedah.'' New York : Schocken Books, 1967 162 pp ''Hebrew Reborn: An Account of the Emergence, Revival, and Renascence of the Hebrew Language and Hebrew Letters in the Modern World.'' New York : Macmillan 1930 479 pp ''Amos Vs. Amaziah Essays in Judaism No. 3.'' The Jewish Theological Seminary of America 1957 ''Noah, Daniel and Job: touching on Canaanite relics in the Legends of the Jews''. Louis Ginzberg Jubilee Volumeon the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday. New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1945 ''Ezekiel or Pseudo-Ezekiel?'' Reprinted from the Harvard Theological Review, vol 29, no 4, Oct. 1931 ''A prophetic attestation of the decalogue: Hosea 6:5; with some observations on Psalms 15 and 24'' to Dr. Stephen Wise on his 60th birthday. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1934


Further reading

*"Spiegel, Shalom", Vladimir F. Wertsman, ''Salute to Romanian Jews in America and Canada, 1850-2010: History, Achievements, and Biographies'', Bloomington, Ind.: Xlibris, 2010, p. 145. *"Spiegel, Shalom", ''Who Was Who in America, With World Notables: 1982-1985'', 1985, p. 378. *Judah Goldin, "Of Shalom Spiegel", ''Prooftexts'' 8, 2 (May 1988), pp. 173–181 *Arnold J. Band, 'Scholarship as lamentation: Shalom Spiegel on "the Binding of Isaac",' ''Jewish Social Studies'' 5,1-2 (1998-1999), 80-90. *Ghilad H Shenhav, Rethinking the Aqedah after the Holocaust: The Case of Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Shalom Spiegel in Aqedah De Gruyter 2025 https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111450841-019


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiegel, Shalom 1899 births 1984 deaths University of Vienna alumni American literary historians 20th-century American Jews Medieval Hebraists