Sylvia Heschel, wife of the late theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, died Monday in New York City. She was 94. Born Sylvia Straus in Philadelphia and raised in Cleveland, Heschel was a classically trained pianist who taught and performed in New York, according to The Associated Press. She was sometimes credited with inspiring her husband s passion for music. The couple met during World War II in Cincinnati, their daughter Susannah Heschel, a professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, told the AP. “They were both at a dinner party and my mother was asked to play,” she said. “She played and he fell in love with her.” They were married in 1946. Sylvia Heschel traveled widely with her husband and read over his speeches before he gave them, their daughter said. A funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday in New York City.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
