The world’s first Chair in Philosophy and Jewish Law will be established at Bar-Ilan University in Israel in honor of Jack Weiler, New York realtor and philanthropist, it was announced by Jane Stem, president of the University’s American Board of Overseers.
A gift from the Weiler family, the Chair commemorates Weiler’s honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, awarded at the University’s Academic Convocation last June. It will serve both the Department of Philosophy and the School of Law at the University.
Dr. Emanuel Rackman, president of Bar-Ilan, will deliver the inaugural Weiler Lecture and coordinate the Chair’s activities pending the formal designation of an incumbent, Mrs. Stem said. Other activities will include a seminar on the philosophy of Jewish law, research and publications.
Commenting on the significance of the Weiler Chair, Mrs. Stem said: “There is a growing interest in Jewish law throughout the world, especially in Israel, where jurists and members of the bar are eager to benefit from the insights of Jewish law in the administration of justice. The inauguration of the Weiler Chair will make possible for the first time, the study of the underlying concepts of Jewish law and their relationship to values held by Judaism and by other religions and humane traditions.”
Weiler, who is chairman of the board of the Swig-Weiler-Arnow Management Co., Inc. is widely regarded as one of American Jewry’s most distinguished communal leaders. He was national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal for 25 years, president and chairman of the board of the American Joint Distribution Committee, secretary-treasurer of the State of Israel Bond Organization, and president of the Jewish Agency for Israel, American Section.
Weiler has also served Yeshiva University, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, of which he is a founder; and the New York Board of Rabbis, where he chairs the board of the lay advisory council.
Formal dedication of the Chair will take place in the presence of the families of Weiler and Robert Arnow in Israel later this year.
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