Salo Wittmayer Baron
Encyclopedia
Salo Wittmayer Baron was an American historian of Polish
-Austrian
Jewish ancestry and the most noted historian of the Jews of his generation. Baron taught at Columbia University
from 1930 until his retirement in 1963.
, Galicia which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but is now in Poland. Baron's family was educated and affluent, part of the Jewish aristocracy of Galicia. His father was a banker and president of the Jewish community of 16,000. Baron's first language was Polish, but he knew twenty languages, including Yiddish, Biblical and modern Hebrew, French and German, and was famous for being able to give scholarly lectures without notes - in five languages. Baron received rabbinical ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Vienna
in 1920, and earned three doctorates from the University of Vienna
, in philosophy in 1917, in political science in 1922 and in law in 1923. He began his teaching career at the Jewish Teachers College in Vienna in 1926, but was persuaded to move to New York to teach at the Jewish Institute of Religion
by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise New York.
Baron's appointment as the Nathan L. Miller Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Institutions at Columbia University
in 1929 is considered to mark the beginning of the scholarly study of Jewish History in an American university.
According to Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
, Baron "was undoubtedly the greatest Jewish historian of the 20th century."
Baron opposed the "lachrymose conception of Jewish history," sometimes identified with Heinrich Graetz
, a great 19th-century Jewish historian who found the main elements of Jewish experience through the ages to be suffering and spiritual scholarship. In a 1975 interview, Baron said "Suffering is part of the destiny [of the Jews], but so is repeated joy as well as ultimate redemption."
Professor Baron also strove to integrate the religious dimension of Jewish history into a full picture of Jewish life and to integrate the history of Jews into the wider history of the eras and societies in which they lived.
On April 24, 1961, Professor Baron testified at the trial of Adolf Eichmann
in Jerusalem. Baron explained the historical context of the Nazi genocide
against the Jews. He further explained that in his birthplace, Tarnow, there had been 20,000 Jews before the war but, after Hitler, there were no more than 20. His parents and a sister were killed there.
In addition to his scholarly work, Baron was active in organizational efforts to maintain and strengthen the Jewish community both before and after World War II. From 1950 to 1968, he directed the Center of Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University
. He received more than a dozen honorary degrees from universities in the United States, Europe and Israel and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1964.
He died in New York City
aged 94. The Salo Wittmayer Baron Chair of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University was created in his honor.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
Jewish ancestry and the most noted historian of the Jews of his generation. Baron taught at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1930 until his retirement in 1963.
Life and career
Baron was born in TarnówTarnów
Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...
, Galicia which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but is now in Poland. Baron's family was educated and affluent, part of the Jewish aristocracy of Galicia. His father was a banker and president of the Jewish community of 16,000. Baron's first language was Polish, but he knew twenty languages, including Yiddish, Biblical and modern Hebrew, French and German, and was famous for being able to give scholarly lectures without notes - in five languages. Baron received rabbinical ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 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...
in 1920, and earned three doctorates from the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, in philosophy in 1917, in political science in 1922 and in law in 1923. He began his teaching career at the Jewish Teachers College in Vienna in 1926, but was persuaded to move to New York to teach at the Jewish Institute of Religion
Jewish Institute of Religion
The Jewish Institute of Religion was an educational establishment created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise in 1922 in New York City. While generally incorporating Reform Judaism, it was separate from the previously established Hebrew Union College...
by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise New York.
Baron's appointment as the Nathan L. Miller Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Institutions at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1929 is considered to mark the beginning of the scholarly study of Jewish History in an American university.
According to Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi was the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University, a position he held from 1980 to 2008...
, Baron "was undoubtedly the greatest Jewish historian of the 20th century."
Baron opposed the "lachrymose conception of Jewish history," sometimes identified with Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
, a great 19th-century Jewish historian who found the main elements of Jewish experience through the ages to be suffering and spiritual scholarship. In a 1975 interview, Baron said "Suffering is part of the destiny [of the Jews], but so is repeated joy as well as ultimate redemption."
Professor Baron also strove to integrate the religious dimension of Jewish history into a full picture of Jewish life and to integrate the history of Jews into the wider history of the eras and societies in which they lived.
On April 24, 1961, Professor Baron testified at the trial of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
in Jerusalem. Baron explained the historical context of the Nazi genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
against the Jews. He further explained that in his birthplace, Tarnow, there had been 20,000 Jews before the war but, after Hitler, there were no more than 20. His parents and a sister were killed there.
In addition to his scholarly work, Baron was active in organizational efforts to maintain and strengthen the Jewish community both before and after World War II. From 1950 to 1968, he directed the Center of Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He received more than a dozen honorary degrees from universities in the United States, Europe and Israel and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1964.
He died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
aged 94. The Salo Wittmayer Baron Chair of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University was created in his honor.
Literary works
- The Jewish Community (3 vols., 1942)
- Jews of the United States, 1790–1840: A Documentary History (ed. with Joseph L. BlauJoseph L. BlauJoseph Leon Blau was an American scholar of Jewish history and philosophy.-Biography:Blau was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Columbia University, where he studied under Salo Wittmayer Baron. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1931, his master's in 1933, and his Ph.D. in 1944, all from...
, 3 vols., 1963) - A Social and Religious History of the Jews (18 vols., 2d ed. 1952–1983)
Further reading
- Robert Liberles: Salo Wittmayer Baron : architect of Jewish history, New York, NY [etc.] : New York University Press, 1995
External links
- http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/salo_wittmayer_baron.html
- http://www.bartleby.com/65/ba/Baron-Sa.html
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/B/Baron-Sa.asp
- http://www.bookrags.com/biography-salo-wittmayer-baron/index.html
- http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/xml/m0580.xml Guide to the Salo W. Baron Papers, 1900–1980, Stanford Univ. See also http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=ft509nb07b&chunk.id=c01-1.8.6.2&brand=oac
Research resources
- Salo W. Baron Papers, 1900-1980, 1982-2000 (400 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries