Dr. Shalom Spiegel, William Prager Professor Emeritus of Medieval Hebrew Literature at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, died today at the age of 85 after a long illness.
Born in Bocowina, Rumania, Spiegel received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. He began his teaching career in Palestine as Lecturer in Hebrew Literature. Prior to his appointment to the Seminary faculty, Spiegel was professor and librarian at the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City.
He was a scholar whose notable record includes a series of publications in biblical and medieval letters and the books, “Hebrew Reborn” and “The Last Trial, ” the latter a collection of legends about the sacrifice of Isaac. he also published studies on Hosea, Amos, Jeremioh, Ezekiel, and Job.
Spiegel was a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and of the Oriental Society. He was also a trustee of the Israel Matz Foundation, an honorary member of the Israel Academy of the Hebrew Language in Jerusalem and a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research. Former chairman of the educational advisory committee to Hadassah, he was also secretary of the Alexander Kohut Memorial Foundation.
In 1973, Spiegel was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of Hebrew letters from the Seminary. In May of 1983, he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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