Leonard J. Fein (July 1, 1934 – August 14, 2014), also known as Leibel Fein, was an American activist, writer, and teacher specializing in Jewish social themes.

Academic career

After studying at the University of Chicago, Fein later received his PhD from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. Fein taught Political Science at MIT in the 1960s. He was then also the Deputy Director of the MIT/

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Joint Center for Urban Studies. He joined the Brandeis University faculty in 1970 as a Professor of Politics and Social Policy and the Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies.

Jewish community leader

He founded the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy and was co-founder and for 12 years editor of ''

Moment Magazine ''Moment'' is an independent magazine which focuses on the life of the American Jewish community. It is not tied to any particular Jewish movement or ideology. The publication features investigative stories and cultural criticism, highlighting th ...

''. He was characterized by Daniel Sokatch of the New Israel Fund as "the father of our Jewish social justice movement."Daniel Sokatch
"Leonard 'Leibel' Fein"
2014-08-15, New Israel Fund. Accessed 2014-08-15. Fein is the founder of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a Jewish hunger-relief organization started in 1985. Fein helped establish Americans for Peace Now.

Author

He was the author of four books and the editor of two, and he wrote extensively for newspapers, magazines, and journals. From 1990, he wrote a syndicated weekly opinion column for '' The Forward'' newspaper. Fein's books include ''Where Are We? The Inner Life of America’s Jews'' and ''Israel: Politics and People''. He was a contributor to '' The New York Times'', '' The New Republic'', '' Commentary'', '' Commonweal'', '' The Nation'', '' Dissent'', and the '' Los Angeles Times''.

Family

His father was a professor of Jewish history. He was the brother of

Rashi Fein Rashi Fein (February 6, 1926 – September 8, 2014) was an American health economist termed "a father of Medicare" in the United States and "an architect of Medicare," was Professor of Economics of Medicine, Emeritus, in the Department of Global ...

, Litt. D., Ph.D., a famed health economist termed "a father of Medicare" and Professor of Economics of Medicine, Emeritus, in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He was married twice and had three daughters, Rachel, Nomi, and Jessie.

Death

Fein died at the age of 80.

Awards

Ameinu Dreamers and Builders Award
November 2009. * Honorary doctorate from the

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, 1991 * National Foundation for Jewish Culture award for achievement in Jewish scholarship, 1994. * Jewish Council on Public Affairs, Chernin Award for lifetime contributions to social justice, 1999. * University of Chicago Alumni Award for "creative leadership in public service that has benefited society and reflected credit on the University", 2000.

References

External links

Leonard Fein Papers
at the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History
Behavior: Two Voices: A Dialogue on Dissension
'' Time'', January 31, 1969. Fein and educator Rhody McCoy are interviewed on the relationships between ethnic communities. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fein, Leonard American magazine editors Writers from Brooklyn Jewish American community activists Jewish American academics University of Chicago alumni Michigan State University alumni MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences faculty Brandeis University faculty 1934 births 2014 deaths