Menahem Stern
Encyclopedia
Menahem Stern was an internationally acclaimed Israeli historian
of the Second Temple
period.
. His father was a Lithuania
n misnaged while his mother came from a Hasidic
family. In his childhood he studied Hebrew and religious texts, but later acquired a general education that included Latin
. In 1938 he immigrated to Palestine with his parents via Vienna
. They settled in Haifa
, where he studied at the Hebrew Reali School
. When the family moved to Tel Aviv
, he switched to Geulah high school, from which he graduated in 1942.
In 1943, after working on a kibbutz
for a year, he enrolled in the History of the Jewish people
, General History and Classical Studies departments at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. In 1950, he received his M.A.
.
In 1952, after his marriage to Hava Brenner, the niece of Hebrew-language
author
Yosef Haim Brenner
, he spent two and a half years at Oxford
. Upon his return to Jerusalem in 1954 he received the highest research award in Jewish Studies of the Warburg Foundation. After a year he began teaching at the university. In 1960 he received his Ph.D.
and was appointed Lecturer of the History of the Jewish people in Second Temple period. In 1964 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer
, in 1966 to Associate Professor and in 1971 to Full Professor.
, for history of the Jewish people.
In 1979, he was appointed to the Israeli National Academy of Science and became one of its most active members.
He was president of the Israeli Historic Company, a founder of the Zalman Shazar Center and an editor of "Zion". He was on the Executive Committee of the World Union of Jewish Sciences and was very active in Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi.
while walking to the Jewish National and University Library
in Givat Ram
through the Valley of the Cross
in Jerusalem, as he did every day. He left a wife, a son and three daughters. The annual Menahem Stern Jerusalem Lectures were established in his name.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
period.
Biography
Menahem Stern was born in 1925 in Białystok, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. His father was a Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n misnaged while his mother came from a Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
family. In his childhood he studied Hebrew and religious texts, but later acquired a general education that included Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. In 1938 he immigrated to Palestine with his parents via Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. They settled 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...
, where he studied at the Hebrew Reali School
Hebrew Reali School
The Hebrew Reali School of Haifa , located in Haifa, Israel, is one of the country's oldest private schools.-History:...
. When the family moved to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, he switched to Geulah high school, from which he graduated in 1942.
In 1943, after working on a kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
for a year, he enrolled in the History of the Jewish people
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
, General History and Classical Studies departments 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...
. In 1950, he received his M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
.
In 1952, after his marriage to Hava Brenner, the niece of Hebrew-language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Yosef Haim Brenner
Yosef Haim Brenner
Yosef Haim Brenner was a Russian-born Hebrew-language author, one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature.-Biography:Brenner was born to a poor Jewish family in Novi Mlini, Russian Empire...
, he spent two and a half years at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Upon his return to Jerusalem in 1954 he received the highest research award in Jewish Studies of the Warburg Foundation. After a year he began teaching at the university. In 1960 he received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
and was appointed Lecturer of the History of the Jewish people in Second Temple period. In 1964 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer
Senior lecturer
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. Especially in research-intensive universities, lecturers lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
, in 1966 to Associate Professor and in 1971 to Full Professor.
Awards and honours
In 1977, Stern won the Israel PrizeIsrael Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for history of the Jewish people.
In 1979, he was appointed to the Israeli National Academy of Science and became one of its most active members.
He was president of the Israeli Historic Company, a founder of the Zalman Shazar Center and an editor of "Zion". He was on the Executive Committee of the World Union of Jewish Sciences and was very active in Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi.
Murder
On June 22, 1989, he was murdered by Arab terroristsTerrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
while walking to the Jewish National and University Library
Jewish National and University Library
The National Library of Israel , is the national library of Israel...
in Givat Ram
Givat Ram
Givat Ram is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, Israel. Many of Israel's most important national institutions are located in Givat Ram, among them the Knesset, the Israel Museum, the National Library of Israel and the Israeli Supreme Court.-Etymology:...
through the Valley of the Cross
Monastery of the Cross
The Monastery of the Cross is a monastery near the Nayot neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. It is located in the Valley of the Cross, below the Israel Museum and the Knesset.- History :...
in Jerusalem, as he did every day. He left a wife, a son and three daughters. The annual Menahem Stern Jerusalem Lectures were established in his name.
Published works
- The Great Families of the Period of the Second Temple (1959)
- The Documentation of the Maccabee Rebellion (1965)
- Greek and Latin authors on Jews and Judaism/ edited with introductions, translations and commentary by Menahem Stern. Jerusalem: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, (c1974-c1984)
- Studies in the History of the People of Israel in the Period of the Second Temple (1991, published posthumously)
- The Reign of Herod (1992, published posthumously)
- Hasmonean Judea in the Hellenistic World: Chapters in Political History (1995, published posthumously)