Shelomo Dov Goitein
Encyclopedia
Shelomo Dov Goitein was a German-Jewish ethnographer, historian and Arabist
known for his research on Jewish life in the Islam
ic Middle Ages
.
in Upper Franconia
, Germany
; his father, Dr. Eduard Goitein, was born in Hungary to a long line of rabbi
s. The name Goitein points probably to Kojetín
in Moravia
as the city of origin of the family. He was brought up with both secular and talmudic education. In 1914 his father died and the family moved to Frankfurt am Main, where he finished high school and university.
During 1918-1923 he studied Arabic
and Islam
at the University of Frankfurt
while continuing his talmudic study with a private teacher. In 1923 he sailed together with Gershom Scholem
to Palestine. He lived four years in Haifa
until he was invited to lecture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, which had been inaugurated two years earlier. In Jerusalem, he married Theresa Gottlieb (1900–1987), a eurythmics teacher who composed songs and plays for children. They had three children, Ayala, Ofra, and Elon.
In 1957 he moved to the United States
where he felt more able to remain focused on his studies. He settled in Philadelphia and worked at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
. He died on February 6, 1985, the day his last volume was sent to the publisher.
in Haifa. In 1927 he wrote a play called Pulcellina about the blood libel killings in Blois
in 1171. In 1928, he was appointed Professor of Islamic History and Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. He was founder of the School of Asian and African studies and of the Israel Oriental Society. In 1928, he began his research of the language, culture and history of the Jews of Yemen. In 1949, did research in Aden, questioning the Jews who gathered there from all parts of Yemen before being flown to Israel. In 1938-1948, he served as Senior Education Officer in Mandatory Palestine, responsible for Jewish and Arab Schools, and published books on methods of teaching the Bible and Hebrew. From 1948, he began his life's work on the Cairo Geniza
documents. An especially rich Geniza with a large volume of correspondence was discovered in Old Cairo
containing thousands of documents dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Since Jews began every letter or document with the words "With the help of God," the papers reflected all aspects of everyday life in the countries of North Africa and bordering the Mediterranean. The documents included many letters from Jewish traders en route from Tunisia and Egypt to Yemen and ultimately to India. The papers were mostly written in Arabic spelled in the Hebrew alphabet. After deciphering the documents Goitein vividly reconstructed many aspects of Jewish life in the Middle Ages in A Mediterranean Society. Although the documents were written by Jews, they reflect the surrounding Moslem and Christian environments not only in countries bordering the Mediterranean but all the way to India. This has thrown new light on the whole study of the Middle Ages.
(1965), Harvey
(1980), and the MacArthur lifetime fellowship
(1983).
Arabist
This is an article about the western scholars known as Arabists, not the political movement Pan-Arabism.An Arabist is someone normally from outside the Arab World who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture, and often Arabic literature.-Origins:Arabists began in medieval...
known for his research on Jewish life in the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Biography
Shelomo Dov (Fritz) Goitein was born in the town of BurgkunstadtBurgkunstadt
Burgkunstadt is a town in the district of Lichtenfels, in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Main, 15 km west of Kulmbach, and 24 km southeast of Coburg....
in Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; his father, Dr. Eduard Goitein, was born in Hungary to a long line of rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s. The name Goitein points probably to Kojetín
Kojetín
Kojetín is a Moravian town, in the Olomouc Region, the Czech Republic. It has 6,557 inhabitants.There are multiple pre-medieval historic records documenting existence and history of Kojetín in Czech and Moravian archives....
in Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
as the city of origin of the family. He was brought up with both secular and talmudic education. In 1914 his father died and the family moved to Frankfurt am Main, where he finished high school and university.
During 1918-1923 he studied Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
at the University of Frankfurt
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
The Goethe University Frankfurt was founded in 1914 as a Citizens' University, which means that, while it was a State university of Prussia, it had been founded and financed by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt am Main, a unique feature in German university history...
while continuing his talmudic study with a private teacher. In 1923 he sailed together with Gershom Scholem
Gershom Scholem
Gerhard Scholem who, after his immigration from Germany to Palestine, changed his name to Gershom Scholem , was a German-born Israeli Jewish philosopher and historian, born and raised in Germany...
to Palestine. He lived four years in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
until he was invited to lecture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, which had been inaugurated two years earlier. In Jerusalem, he married Theresa Gottlieb (1900–1987), a eurythmics teacher who composed songs and plays for children. They had three children, Ayala, Ofra, and Elon.
In 1957 he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he felt more able to remain focused on his studies. He settled in Philadelphia and worked at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. He died on February 6, 1985, the day his last volume was sent to the publisher.
Academic career
In 1918-1923, Goitein attended the universities of Frankfurt and Berlin and studied Islamic history under Joseph Horowitz. His Ph.D. thesis was "On prayer in Islam." He also pursued Jewish studies, and was a leader in the Zionist Youth Movement. In 1923 he immigrated to Palestine, where he taught Bible and Hebrew language at the Reali SchoolHebrew Reali School
The Hebrew Reali School of Haifa , located in Haifa, Israel, is one of the country's oldest private schools.-History:...
in Haifa. In 1927 he wrote a play called Pulcellina about the blood libel killings in Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
in 1171. In 1928, he was appointed Professor of Islamic History and Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. He was founder of the School of Asian and African studies and of the Israel Oriental Society. In 1928, he began his research of the language, culture and history of the Jews of Yemen. In 1949, did research in Aden, questioning the Jews who gathered there from all parts of Yemen before being flown to Israel. In 1938-1948, he served as Senior Education Officer in Mandatory Palestine, responsible for Jewish and Arab Schools, and published books on methods of teaching the Bible and Hebrew. From 1948, he began his life's work on the Cairo Geniza
Cairo Geniza
The Cairo Geniza is a collection of almost 280,000 Jewish manuscript fragments found in the Genizah or storeroom of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, presently Old Cairo, Egypt. Some additional fragments were found in the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and the collection includes a number of...
documents. An especially rich Geniza with a large volume of correspondence was discovered in Old Cairo
Old Cairo
Old Cairo is a part of Cairo, Egypt, that contains the remnants of those cities which were capitals before Cairo, such as Fustat, as well as some other elements from the city's varied history. For example, it encompasses Coptic Cairo and its many old churches and ruins of Roman fortifications...
containing thousands of documents dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Since Jews began every letter or document with the words "With the help of God," the papers reflected all aspects of everyday life in the countries of North Africa and bordering the Mediterranean. The documents included many letters from Jewish traders en route from Tunisia and Egypt to Yemen and ultimately to India. The papers were mostly written in Arabic spelled in the Hebrew alphabet. After deciphering the documents Goitein vividly reconstructed many aspects of Jewish life in the Middle Ages in A Mediterranean Society. Although the documents were written by Jews, they reflect the surrounding Moslem and Christian environments not only in countries bordering the Mediterranean but all the way to India. This has thrown new light on the whole study of the Middle Ages.
Awards
Goitein was awarded honorary degrees from many universities. He received research awards from GuggenheimGuggenheim 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...
(1965), Harvey
Harvey Prize
The Harvey Prize is awarded by the Technion in Haifa, Israel. It is awarded in different disciplines of Science, Technology, Human Health, and Contributions to Peace in the Middle East. Two awards - each of $75,000 - are given away annually...
(1980), and the MacArthur lifetime fellowship
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
(1983).
Agnon correspondence
Goitein's lengthy correspondence with the Nobel-prize winning author S.Y. Agnon was published by his daughter, Ayala Gordon, in 2008. Agnon's wife, Esther, had studied Arabic privately with Goitein while she was a student at the University of Frankfurt. When Goitein moved to Jerusalem, he and Agnon became close friends. Most of the letters are from the mid-1950s onwards, after Goitein left Israel, a move of which Agnon was highly critical.Published works
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. I: Economic Foundations, University of California Press (September 1, 2000), ISBN 0-520-22158-3
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. II: The Community, 1967
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. III: The Family, ISBN 0-520-22160-5
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. IV: Daily Life, ISBN 0-520-22161-3
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. V: The Individual, ISBN 0-520-22162-1
- A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. VI: Cumulative Indices, ISBN 0-520-22164-8
- The Land of Sheba: Tales of the Jews of Yemen, 1947
- Religion in a Religious Age, June 1996
- Jews and Arabs: Their Contact Through the Ages, 1955
- Letters of Medieval Jewish Traders
- Jews and Arabs: A Concise History of Their Social and Cultural Relations
- India Traders of the Middle Ages: Documents From the Cairo Geniza (ISBN 9789004154728), 2008 (also known as "India Book")