(JNS.org) Rabbi David Hartman, a prominent Jewish philosopher of contemporary Judaism, died Sunday, Feb. 10 after a long illness. He was 81.
Considered to be a pillar of liberal Orthodox Judaism and a strong promoter of Jewish pluralism and inclusion, Hartman was also founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
“Rabbi Hartman was a visionary rabbi and scholar whose dedication to bridging the gaps of understanding among varying streams of Judaism have contributed enormously in strengthening the Jewish people,” David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee said in a statement.
Born in Brooklyn in 1931 to an ultra-Orthodox family, Hartman was raised and educated at the Lithuanian Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey. Later, he was a student of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, a principle figure in the history of modern Orthodoxy, who ordained him as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in New York. He completed his doctorate in philosophy at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
After serving as a pulpit rabbi at a number of important congregations in North America, Rabbi Hartman, inspired by the Six Day War, moved to Israel with his wife and children.
“I moved here in 1971 out of a belief that we were creating a new history, a new Jew. So, yes, we have a state, but there is something missing. We are missing people to instill a spiritual vision,” he said in a 2011 interview with Yedioth Ahronoth.
Hartman founded the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem in 1976 to be “a center of transformative thinking and teaching that addresses the major challenges facing the Jewish people,” according to the institute’s website.
He published dozens of articles and books, including two about Maimonides, one on the theological legacy of Soloveitchik and two about his own spiritual path. He was the recipient of honorary degrees from Hebrew Union College, Yale University and the Weizmann Institute, the Avi Chai Prize, and two National Jewish Book Awards.
Among those in attendance at Hartman’s funeral service on Monday, Feb. 11 were U.S. Ambassador Daniel Shapiro and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. He was buried at Har Hamenuchot in Jerusalem. Hartman is survived by five children