Henry A. Fischel
Encyclopedia
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Henry A. Fischel was professor emeritus of Near Eastern languages and cultures at Indiana University
.
Fischel was an influential figure in founding the Jewish Studies
Program at Indiana University. Under his direction, the Lilly Endowment
gave the university a grant in 1972-73 to develop a Jewish Studies Program. Professor Fischel lived in Bloomington, Indiana
until his death.
After completing secondary school in Bonn, he studied philosophy at the University of Berlin, and Judaica at the Hochschule fur die Wissenschaft des Judentums
, a liberal rabbinical seminary in Berlin. He was ordained as rabbi in 1939, after having been detained for several months at a Nazi concentration camp. He continued his studies at the University of Edinburgh
, in Scotland, and was awarded a PhD in 1945.
In 1941, he came to Canada, where he initially lived in a holding camp, and served as rabbi for other refugees from Germany. For the next half century, he held distinguished rabbinical and academic positions in Canada and in the United States, including professorships at Brandeis University
and at Indiana University. He joined the faculty of Indiana University in 1961.
He published numerous books and articles exploring the relationship between Jewish literature and the Hellenistic world, and was a pioneer in this area of research. Among extensive academic honors and offices, he served as president of the Society of Biblical Literature
in Canada, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
.
He was a cherished husband and father, and a beloved teacher, colleague, and friend.
An accomplished musician, he delighted his many friends and neighbors at Meadowood Retirement Community with piano recital-talks. Among his other hobbies, he was an avid chess player, a near-expert philatelist, and an eager tennis player. As a student, he played soccer, and twice competed in international boxing bouts, as a youth fly-weight.
He died peacefully on March 20, 2008 and is survived by daughter, Antoinette Jourard of St. Augustine, Florida; daughter Miriam Herman and son-in-law Marvin Sharp of Victoria, BC Canada; nephew Robert Newhouser of New York, New York; five grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sylvia (née Morris) Fischel, and his sister Lotte Newhouser. His mother, nine uncles and aunts, and three cousins perished in the Holocaust.
Henry A. Fischel was professor emeritus of Near Eastern languages and cultures at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
Fischel was an influential figure in founding the Jewish Studies
Jewish studies
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...
Program at Indiana University. Under his direction, the Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
gave the university a grant in 1972-73 to develop a Jewish Studies Program. Professor Fischel lived in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
until his death.
Obituary
Born in Bonn, Germany in 1913, Henry A. Fischel was the son of Anna (néé Suessengut) and Adolf Fischel.After completing secondary school in Bonn, he studied philosophy at the University of Berlin, and Judaica at the Hochschule fur die Wissenschaft des Judentums
Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums
The Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, or Higher Institute for Jewish Studies, was a rabbinical seminary, established in Berlin in 1872 destroyed by the Nazi government of Germany in 1942...
, a liberal rabbinical seminary in Berlin. He was ordained as rabbi in 1939, after having been detained for several months at a Nazi concentration camp. He continued his studies at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, in Scotland, and was awarded a PhD in 1945.
In 1941, he came to Canada, where he initially lived in a holding camp, and served as rabbi for other refugees from Germany. For the next half century, he held distinguished rabbinical and academic positions in Canada and in the United States, including professorships at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
and at Indiana University. He joined the faculty of Indiana University in 1961.
He published numerous books and articles exploring the relationship between Jewish literature and the Hellenistic world, and was a pioneer in this area of research. Among extensive academic honors and offices, he served as president of the Society of Biblical Literature
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
in Canada, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
He was a cherished husband and father, and a beloved teacher, colleague, and friend.
An accomplished musician, he delighted his many friends and neighbors at Meadowood Retirement Community with piano recital-talks. Among his other hobbies, he was an avid chess player, a near-expert philatelist, and an eager tennis player. As a student, he played soccer, and twice competed in international boxing bouts, as a youth fly-weight.
He died peacefully on March 20, 2008 and is survived by daughter, Antoinette Jourard of St. Augustine, Florida; daughter Miriam Herman and son-in-law Marvin Sharp of Victoria, BC Canada; nephew Robert Newhouser of New York, New York; five grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sylvia (née Morris) Fischel, and his sister Lotte Newhouser. His mother, nine uncles and aunts, and three cousins perished in the Holocaust.
Literary works
- Rabbinic Literature and Greco-Roman Philosophy: A Study of Epicurea and Rhetorica in Early Midrash (Leiden, 1973).
- -- Essays in Greco-Roman and Related Talmudic Literature, ed. by Henry A. Fischel, (New York: KTAV Publishing, 1977)
- -- "Story and History: Observations on Greco-Roman Rhetoric and Pharisaism." Denis Sinor, editor. American Oriental Society, Middle West Branch, Semi-Centennial Volume. Bloomington, IL; 1969; pp. 59–78.
- ---. Story and History: Observations on Greco-Roman Rhetoric and Pharisaism. In Henry Fischel, editor. Essays in Greco-Roman and Related Talmudic Literature. New York: Ktaw; 1977; pp. 443–472
- --"Studies in Cynicism and the Ancient Near East: the Transformation of a Chria." In Religions in Antiquity: Essays in Memory of Erwin Ramsdell GoodenoughErwin Ramsdell GoodenoughErwin Ramsdell Goodenough was a scholar in the history of religion. He is specifically noted for his study of the influence of Greek culture on Judaism, what some call Hellenistic Judaism....
372-411. 1968. Leiden. - ---. "The Uses of Sorites (Climax, Gradatio) in the Tannaitic PeriodTannaimThe Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
." Hebrew University College Annual. 1973; 44:119-151.
- --- The First Book of Maccabées. Fischel, Henry A. (Henry Schocken Books, 1948.