Abraham Joshua Heschel
Leading 20th-century American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher.
Chronology: 1907-01-11 – 1972-12-23
Origins & Early Life
Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, authored a number of widely read books on Jewish philosophy and was a leader in the U.S. civil rights movement. == Biography == Abraham Joshua Heschel was born in Warsaw in 1907, the youngest of six children of Moshe Mordechai Heschel and Rifka Reizel Heschel née Perlow.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
His father hailed originally from Medzhybizh and his mother was from Mińsk Mazowiecki. He was descended from preeminent European rabbis on both sides of his family. His paternal great-great-grandfather and namesake was Rebbe Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt in present-day Poland. His mother was also a descendant of Avraham Yehoshua Heshel and other Hasidic dynasties. His siblings were Sarah, Dvora Miriam, Esther Sima, Gittel, and Jacob.
Enduring Legacy & Impact
Their father Moshe died of influenza in 1916 when Abraham was nine. He was tutored by a Gerrer Hasid who introduced him to the thought of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. After a traditional yeshiva education and studying for Orthodox...
Source: Wikipedia