Moshe Davis (January 12, 1916 in
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 ...
– April 19, 1996) was a rabbi and a scholar of American Jewish history who taught at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and
Hebrew University
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 ...
.
Biography
He was recipient of a BA from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1936, a BA from the Jewish Theological Seminary's Teachers Institute in 1937, rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1942, and a Ph.D. from Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1945. Davis was the first American to earn a doctorate at Hebrew University.
[.]
He held a variety of leadership positions at JTS, including serving as professor of American Jewish history, and at Hebrew University, where he was named the Stephen S. Wise Chair of American Jewish History and Institutions. In 1959, upon taking up his post in Israel, Davis established the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
His numerous books include ''The Emergence of Conservative Judaism'' (1963) and ''Israel: Its Role In Civilization'' (1956).
Davis has been credited with being the creator of the academic field of America-Holy Land Studies, the field of studies focusing on the relationship between America and the Land of Israel.
The
Camp Ramah network of Jewish camps was also founded under the guidance of Davis and
Sylvia Ettenberg.
[.] As part of his efforts to build Hebrew language institutions in the United States, Davis also played a role in founding the college student organization Histadrut Hanoar Ha'Ivri, the Hebrew Arts Foundation, the
Massad camps, and the Hebrew Arts School for Music and Dance.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Moshe
1916 births
1996 deaths
American Conservative rabbis
Columbia University alumni
Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni
Jewish historians
American religion academics
20th-century American rabbis