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Milton Himmelfarb (October 21, 1918 – January 4, 2006) was an American sociographer of the
American Jewish American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora ...
community. Himmelfarb worked for four decades at the
American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...
where he was director of information and research services. He edited various versions of the ''American Jewish Yearbook''. He also was a contributing editor of ''
Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
'', the monthly journal of opinion. In 1986
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
appointed Himmelfarb to the
United States Holocaust Memorial Council The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust his ...
. Himmelfarb held several academic posts: visiting professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is a Jewish seminary in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. It is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Associa ...
and visiting lecturer at
Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
. He earned a BA in 1938 and MS in 1939 from
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
. Himmelfarb coined the
aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
on the Jewish community's political persuasions: "Jews earn like
Episcopalians Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
, and vote like
Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
." Himmelfarb's sister was the historian
Gertrude Himmelfarb Gertrude Himmelfarb (August 8, 1922 – December 30, 2019), also known as Bea Kristol, was an American historian. She was a leader of conservative interpretations of history and historiography. She wrote extensively on intellectual history, w ...
. He died in New York City at the age of 87. Through Gertrude, he was the uncle of
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and Elizabeth Kristol.


Selected works authored, co-authored or edited by Himmelfarb

* ''Jews and Gentiles'' (Encounter Books), 2007, * ''American Jewish Year Book'' (Jewish Publication Society of America, various years) * ''The Jews of Modernity'' (Basic Books, 1973) () * ''Jews in Unsecular America: Essays'' (Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987) () * ''Zero Population Growth—For Whom? Differential Fertility and Minority Group Survival'' (Greenwood Press, 1978) ()


References


External links


Archive of Himmelfarb's articles
in ''Commentary'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Himmelfarb, Milton 1918 births 2006 deaths Jewish American social scientists Jewish sociologists Jewish Theological Seminary of America faculty Yale University faculty City College of New York alumni American sociologists 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Reconstructionist Rabbinical College faculty