Ze'ev Wolf Goldman, later known as Ze'ev Ben-Haim ( he, זאב בן-חיים) (28 December 1907 – 6 August 2013), was a leading Israeli linguist and a former president of the

Academy of the Hebrew Language The Academy of the Hebrew Language ( he, הָאָקָדֶמְיָה לַלָּשׁוֹן הָעִבְרִית, ''ha-akademyah la-lashon ha-ivrit'') was established by the Israeli government in 1953 as the "supreme institution for scholarship on t ...

Biography

Ben-Haim was born in Mościska, Galicia, then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and now in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). Schooled in his youth by private tutors and later completing high school at a gymnasium, where he studied classical languages, he left Galicia to study on a scholarship at the

Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau The Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau (official name: ) was an institution in Breslau for the training of rabbis, founded under the will of Jonah Fränckel, and opened in 1854. The seminary, at what is now an empty building plot (used as a ...

and, in parallel, he studied at the Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, where he received a doctorate in Semitic

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

. He spent a year in

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

in 1931, studying at the Institute of Jewish Studies at the

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 ...

. He presented his work for his doctorate in 1932 on the subject of personal names in

Nabataean The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; Arabic: , , singular , ; compare grc, Ναβαταῖος, translit=Nabataîos; la, Nabataeus) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Lev ...

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

. In 1933, he received

Semikhah Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

(traditional rabbinical ordination) from the

as well as the Ph.D." At the end of 1933 he

immigrated 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, and ...

to Palestine. The following year he was appointed secretary to the Hebrew Language Committee (forerunner of the Academy of the Hebrew Language), working closely with committee head

Hayim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Bialik ( he, חיים נחמן ביאַליק; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934), was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. He was part of the vangu ...

in the last months before that poet's sudden death. Ben-Haim lectured in the

Hebrew language 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 ...

at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 1948, becoming a full professor in 1955 and retiring in 1976. Between 1955 and 1965, he was editor of ''Leshoneynu'' (''Our Language''), the principal periodical of the Academy of the Hebrew Language. In 1961 he was appointed vice president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language and, in the same year, was appointed to head the Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language project, serving in such capacity until 1992. In 1973, following the death of

Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai ( he, נפתלי הרץ טור-סיני; born 13 November 1886 – 17 October 1973) was a Bible scholar, author, and linguist instrumental in the revival of the Hebrew language as a modern, spoken language. Tur-Sinai was the f ...

, Ben-Haim was appointed as the second president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, holding that post until 1981. Ben-Haim lived in

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

until his death at the age of 105.

Awards and honours

* In 1964 Ben-Haim was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

for

Jewish studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (esp ...

. * In 1966 he became a member of the

Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, based in Jerusalem, was established in 1961 by the State of Israel to foster contact between Israeli scholars in the sciences and humanities and create a think tank for advising the government on re ...

* In 1971 he was awarded the Rothschild Prize for Jewish studies.

Published works

Ben-Haim has published many works and authored many articles over the years. The following is a selection of such works: * Between 1957 and 1977, he published in five volumes his monumental Hebrew work on the Hebrew and Aramaic traditions of the Samaritans, * "Observations on the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon from Samaritan Tradition", ''Hebräische Wortforschung: Festschrift zum 80 Geburtstag von Walter Baumgartner'', Leiden 1967, pages 12–24. * "Towards a New Edition of Tîbåt Mårqe", ''Études samaritaines: Pentateuque et Targum, exégèse et philogie, chroniques'', Louvain–Paris 1988, pages 107–108. * במלחמתה של לשון he Struggle for a Language Jerusalem 1992. * A Grammar of Samaritan Hebrew: Based on the Recitation of the Law in Comparison with the Tiberian and Other Jewish Traditions, a revised edition in English, with assistance from A. Tal, Jerusalem and Winona Lake 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Haim, Zeev 1907 births 2013 deaths Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Israeli Jews Israeli centenarians Leipzig University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Grammarians of Hebrew University of Breslau alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem faculty Israel Prize in Jewish studies recipients Men centenarians Members of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Jews in Mandatory Palestine Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Linguists from Israel People from Mostyska Israeli rabbis

Biography

Awards and honours

Published works

See also

References