David Hartman ( he, דוד הרטמן; September 11, 1931 – February 10, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

leader and

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

of contemporary

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, and a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

author.

Biography

David Hartman was born in the Brownsville section of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He attended Yeshiva Chaim Berlin and the

Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

, after which he spent time learning in Lakewood Yeshiva. In 1953, having studied under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, he received his rabbinical ordination from

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

in New York. He continued his studies with Soloveitchik until 1960, while pursuing a graduate degree in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

with Robert C. Pollock at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a private Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located, Fordham is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit un ...

. In 1971, Hartman immigrated to Israel with his wife Barbara and their five children. Hartman died on February 10, 2013 in Jerusalem at the age of 81.

Career

After serving as a congregational rabbi in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New York, from 1955 to 1960, Hartman became the rabbi of Congregation Tiferet Beit David Jerusalem in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. Some of his students moved with him to

when he immigrated in 1971. While in Montreal, he also taught and studied at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

and received his Ph.D. in philosophy. Hartman founded the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem in 1976. He was named founding president in 2009, when his son,

Donniel Hartman Donniel Hartman is an Israeli Modern Orthodox rabbi and educator. He is President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel. He has written books and essays on Judaism and modernity and is a frequent speaker at academic conferences ...

, was named president. In addition to the institute, he founded the Charles E. Smith High School, which operates separate programs for boys and girls, the latter of which is named Midrashiya, in central Jerusalem. Hartman was a Professor of Jewish Thought at

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, for over two decades, during which time he was also a visiting Professor of Jewish Thought at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

in 1986/1987 and at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

in 1997/1998.

Thoughts and assessments

Hartman viewed his

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

to Israel as an essential part of his mission to encourage greater understanding between Jews of diverse affiliations—both in Israel and the

Jewish diaspora The Jewish diaspora ( he, תְּפוּצָה, təfūṣā) or exile (Hebrew: ; Yiddish: ) is the dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancient ancestral homeland (the Land of Israel) and their subsequent settlement in other parts of th ...

—and to build a more pluralistic and tolerant Israeli society. His work emphasized the centrality of the rebirth of the State of Israel and religious pluralism, both among Jews and in

interfaith Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

relations. As his views often aligned with

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generati ...

, some have asked whether he should have been or his writings continue to be considered Orthodox.

Elliot Dorff Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is an American Conservative rabbi. He is a Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Distinguished Professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in ...

, a leader of Conservative Judaism, described Hartman as "Orthodox, but close to the right border of Conservative Judaism".

Political activity

From 1977 to 1984, Hartman served as an advisor to

Zevulun Hammer Zevulun Hammer ( he, זבולון המר, 31 May 1936 – 20 January 1998) was an Israeli politician, minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Biography Hammer was born in Haifa during the Mandate era. He was an active member of the Bnei Akiva yout ...

, former Israeli Minister of Education, and he was an advisor to a number of Israeli prime ministers on the subject of

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or coun ...

in Israel and the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.

Published works

*''A Living Covenant: The Innovative Spirit in Traditional Judaism'' (Jewish Lights, 1998) *''

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...

: Torah and Philosophic Quest'' (Jewish Publication Society, 1976) *''A Heart of Many Rooms: Celebrating the Many Voices Within Judaism'' (Jewish Lights, 1999) *''Israelis and the Jewish Tradition: An Ancient People Debating Its Future'' (The Terry Lectures Series) (Yale Univ Press, 2000) *''The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting and Rethinking Jewish Tradition'' (Jewish Lights, 2011) Hartman's publications in Jewish philosophy have received wide recognition, and become standard references in academic scholarship. He was awarded the

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.Weizmann Institute The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli u ...

of Rehovot, Israel. He received the doctorate "in recognition of his life's work to revitalize Judaism and strengthen Jewish identity among Jews the world over; above all, of his gift of vision and action, faith and scholarship, toward building a more pluralistic, tolerant, and enlightened Israeli society".Hartman website, Nov. 17, 2008, citing Weizmann Institute proclamation
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References

External links

Hartman Institute Official Website

Videos of David Hartman lecturesTribute page to David Hartman

Articles by David Hartman on Hartman Institute Official Website
* by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report * by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report * by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report * by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report * by Leon Charney on The Leon Charney Report {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartman, David 1931 births 2013 deaths American Modern Orthodox rabbis Fordham University alumni Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Israeli Modern Orthodox rabbis Israeli philosophers American Jewish theologians McGill University alumni Philosophers of Judaism People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Yeshiva University alumni Jewish ethicists American emigrants to Israel 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis