Samuel Heilman
Encyclopedia
Samuel Heilman is a professor of Sociology
at Queens College of the City University of New York
who focuses on social ethnography of contemporary Jewish Orthodox movements.
. After World War II the family went to West Germany
with the encouragement of the American occupation forces, who wanted a Jewish presence there. Heilman is married to Ellin Marcia Heilman, a psychologist in private practice. Together, they have four children, Adam, Uriel, Avram and Jonah.
of Queens College of the City University of New York
, where he also serves as a Distinguished Professor of Sociology
. He has been a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University
, and a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Nanjing in China and the Universities of New South Wales
and Melbourne
in Australia. He has given a number of lectures, including at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Rutgers University
, Harvard University
, the University of Maryland, Carelton College, Sydney University, Spertus College, the University of Pennsylvania
, and Brandeis University
, among others. Heilman has also been a guest lecturer at Chonnam University in Gwangju, South Korea, he has given the Rosen Lecture at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, the Michaelson Lecture at the University of California at Santa Barbara (2008) and the Stroum Lectures at the University of Washington (1993).
He is the author of a number of articles and reviews as well as ten books: Synagogue Life, The People of the Book, The Gate Behind the Wall, A Walker in Jerusalem, Cosmopolitans and Parochials: Modern Orthodox Jews in America (co-authored with Steven M. Cohen), Defenders of the Faith: Inside Ultra-Orthodox Jewry, Portrait of American Jews: The Last Half of the 20th Century, When a Jew Dies: The Ethnography of a Bereaved Son, Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy, and The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson (co-authored with Menachem Friedman
). Heilman is also editor of the Death, Bereavement, and Mourning (Transaction Books, 2005), and is a frequent contributor to a number of magazines and newspapers. For a time, he was a regular columnist for The Jewish Week
, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Jewry.
Heilman has been frequently tapped for quotes as well as op ed pieces in various mainstream publications that reflect his standing as a well-respected voice on issues relating to American Jewish life. He has also written various lettes to the editor in many publications, reflecting his interests in issues relating to American Jewish life and current events in the Middle East.
for his lifetime of scholarship from the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
he also was awarded the highest university rank of Distinguished Professor of Sociology by the City University of New York. His book, The Gate Behind the Wall, was honored with the Present Tense Magazine Literary Award for the best book of 1984 in the "Religious Thought" category. A Walker in Jerusalem received the National Jewish Book Award for 1987 and Defenders of the Faith was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1992. Portrait of American Jewry: The Last Half of the 20th Century was honored with the 1996 [first] Gratz College
Tuttleman Library Centennial Award. When a Jew Dies won both the Koret Award in 2003 and the National Jewish Book Award in 2004. Heilman is also the recipient of fellowships from the National Science Foundation
, the National Endowment for the Humanities
, the American Council of Learned Societies
, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, and the Mellon Foundation. He received a Distinguished Faculty Award from the City University of New York in 1985 and 1987. He has been a member of the board of the Association for Jewish Studies, the YIVO
Annual and the Max Weinreich Center.
), Lubavitcher Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
criticized the book, writing in the Jerusalem Post that the book's central thesis had a "fatal flaw", though he in the end concluded the book had "merit" and provided a "humanizing portrait."David Klinghoffer
asserted that "there are peculiar omissions and contradictions. [...] Readers of this biography may wonder if the authors have failed to grasp their subject," in his review for London's Jewish Chronicle.
It also received positive reviews: Publishers Weekly called the book an "outstanding biography," as did the Library Journal. Dr. A Nadler of the Forward called it "lively and provocative" and pointed to its "rich" chapters." In Moment, former poet laureate Robert Pinsky praised the book, as did http://soc.qc.cuny.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Heilman_Jewish-Ideas-Daily_6-10-10_R.pdfJewish Ideas Daily
], the Tablet, the Jewish Post and Opinion and many others.
Perhaps the controversy is best summed up in the feature story written about the book in the New York Times.
After Heilman's publication of Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy, Dr. Marvin Schick
, a former political-science professor at Hunter College
and son of a Rabbi, dedicated his weekly paid advertisement in the Jewish Week
to the book, calling it "nonsense and offensive." Schick further asserted that Heilman "detests much of the Orthodox community" and that this influences the objectivity of his scholarship. Opposing Schick's comments are academic reviews such as Anna Dogole in History in Review, the University of California Press which called the book "timely and compelling", D. R. Kaufman in Contemporary Sociology, and others (see Shofar, The Jewish Press, etc.).
Criticism outside of Heilman's writing has been rare, though in 1996 he was quoted in the press as opposing the appointment of Thomas Bird as head of the Jewish Studies department at Queens College. Heilman's opposition spilled over into the media, where Heilman pointed to the fact that Bird held no Ph.D. while commentators took up the issue of Bird's Catholicism. At the time, Queens College President Allen Sessoms criticized Heilman, but subsequently appointed the late Dr. Benny Kraut, an Orthodox Jew, as head of the program. Sessoms was later forced to resign after a five year tenure as President in 2002, and the issue did not hamper Heilman's appointment as Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Queens, the highest rank in the City University, in 2004.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Queens College of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
who focuses on social ethnography of contemporary Jewish Orthodox movements.
Personal
Heilman was born in May, 1946, to Henry and Lucia Heilman, both Polish survivors of the Holocaust who were saved by Oskar SchindlerOskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German industrialist born in Moravia. He is credited with saving over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively.He is the subject of the...
. After World War II the family went to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
with the encouragement of the American occupation forces, who wanted a Jewish presence there. Heilman is married to Ellin Marcia Heilman, a psychologist in private practice. Together, they have four children, Adam, Uriel, Avram and Jonah.
Scholarship
Heilman holds the Harold Proshansky Chair in Jewish Studies at the CUNY Graduate CenterCUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
of Queens College of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, where he also serves as a Distinguished Professor of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He has been a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, and a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Nanjing in China and the Universities of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in Australia. He has given a number of lectures, including at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, the University of Maryland, Carelton College, Sydney University, Spertus College, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, among others. Heilman has also been a guest lecturer at Chonnam University in Gwangju, South Korea, he has given the Rosen Lecture at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, the Michaelson Lecture at the University of California at Santa Barbara (2008) and the Stroum Lectures at the University of Washington (1993).
He is the author of a number of articles and reviews as well as ten books: Synagogue Life, The People of the Book, The Gate Behind the Wall, A Walker in Jerusalem, Cosmopolitans and Parochials: Modern Orthodox Jews in America (co-authored with Steven M. Cohen), Defenders of the Faith: Inside Ultra-Orthodox Jewry, Portrait of American Jews: The Last Half of the 20th Century, When a Jew Dies: The Ethnography of a Bereaved Son, Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy, and The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson (co-authored with Menachem Friedman
Menachem Friedman
Menachem Friedman is an Israeli Emeritus Professor of sociology at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan. He explores the field of religion and the confrontations between religious and secular Judaism in modern history...
). Heilman is also editor of the Death, Bereavement, and Mourning (Transaction Books, 2005), and is a frequent contributor to a number of magazines and newspapers. For a time, he was a regular columnist for The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week is an independent weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. The Jewish Week covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC and has world-wide distribution.-Editorial staff:...
, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Jewry.
Heilman has been frequently tapped for quotes as well as op ed pieces in various mainstream publications that reflect his standing as a well-respected voice on issues relating to American Jewish life. He has also written various lettes to the editor in many publications, reflecting his interests in issues relating to American Jewish life and current events in the Middle East.
Awards
In 2004, Heilman won the Marshall Sklare Memorial AwardMarshall Sklare Award
The Marshall Sklare Award is an annual honor of the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry . The ASSJ seeks to recognize "a senior scholar who has made a significant scholarly contribution to the social scientific study of Jewry." In most cases, the recipient has given a scholarly...
for his lifetime of scholarship from the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
The Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry is a cross-disciplinary organization of individuals whose research concerns the Jewish people throughout the world.-Purpose:...
he also was awarded the highest university rank of Distinguished Professor of Sociology by the City University of New York. His book, The Gate Behind the Wall, was honored with the Present Tense Magazine Literary Award for the best book of 1984 in the "Religious Thought" category. A Walker in Jerusalem received the National Jewish Book Award for 1987 and Defenders of the Faith was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1992. Portrait of American Jewry: The Last Half of the 20th Century was honored with the 1996 [first] Gratz College
Gratz College
Gratz College is a general college of Jewish studies founded in 1895 offering a broad array of credentials and programs in virtually every area of higher Judaic learning to aspiring Jewish educators, communal professionals, lay people and others seeking to become more knowledgeable of...
Tuttleman Library Centennial Award. When a Jew Dies won both the Koret Award in 2003 and the National Jewish Book Award in 2004. Heilman is also the recipient of fellowships from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, and the Mellon Foundation. He received a Distinguished Faculty Award from the City University of New York in 1985 and 1987. He has been a member of the board of the Association for Jewish Studies, the YIVO
YIVO
YIVO, , established in 1925 in Wilno, Poland as the Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut , or Yiddish Scientific Institute, is a source for orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to the Yiddish language...
Annual and the Max Weinreich Center.
Reception
As a prominent scholar who writes about different sectors of the Jewish community, Heilman's statements have been a target for praise as well as criticism, largely among those about whom he has written. Shortly after the publication of The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Princeton University Press, 2010) (written by Heilman and co-authored by Menachem FriedmanMenachem Friedman
Menachem Friedman is an Israeli Emeritus Professor of sociology at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan. He explores the field of religion and the confrontations between religious and secular Judaism in modern history...
), Lubavitcher Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Shmuley Boteach
Shmuel "Shmuley" Boteach is an American Orthodox rabbi, author, TV host and public speaker.Among other books, Boteach wrote Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, published in 1999, which openly discusses intimacy and sexual intercourse...
criticized the book, writing in the Jerusalem Post that the book's central thesis had a "fatal flaw", though he in the end concluded the book had "merit" and provided a "humanizing portrait."David Klinghoffer
David Klinghoffer
David Klinghoffer is an author and essayist, and a proponent of intelligent design. He is a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute, the organization that is the driving force behind the intelligent design movement...
asserted that "there are peculiar omissions and contradictions. [...] Readers of this biography may wonder if the authors have failed to grasp their subject," in his review for London's Jewish Chronicle.
It also received positive reviews: Publishers Weekly called the book an "outstanding biography," as did the Library Journal. Dr. A Nadler of the Forward called it "lively and provocative" and pointed to its "rich" chapters." In Moment, former poet laureate Robert Pinsky praised the book, as did http://soc.qc.cuny.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Heilman_Jewish-Ideas-Daily_6-10-10_R.pdfJewish Ideas Daily
Jewish Ideas Daily
Jewish Ideas Daily is a website which reports on news, culture and political issues relating to Judaism and Israel. It was founded in January 2010 and regular contributors include Elliot Jager, Yehudah Mirsky, Allan Nadler, Aryeh Tepper and David Hazony....
], the Tablet, the Jewish Post and Opinion and many others.
Perhaps the controversy is best summed up in the feature story written about the book in the New York Times.
After Heilman's publication of Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy, Dr. Marvin Schick
Marvin Schick
Marvin Schick is a former Hunter College and New School for Social Research political-science and constitutional law professor. He is also known for his work in Jewish education.-Career:...
, a former political-science professor at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and son of a Rabbi, dedicated his weekly paid advertisement in the Jewish Week
The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week is an independent weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. The Jewish Week covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC and has world-wide distribution.-Editorial staff:...
to the book, calling it "nonsense and offensive." Schick further asserted that Heilman "detests much of the Orthodox community" and that this influences the objectivity of his scholarship. Opposing Schick's comments are academic reviews such as Anna Dogole in History in Review, the University of California Press which called the book "timely and compelling", D. R. Kaufman in Contemporary Sociology, and others (see Shofar, The Jewish Press, etc.).
Criticism outside of Heilman's writing has been rare, though in 1996 he was quoted in the press as opposing the appointment of Thomas Bird as head of the Jewish Studies department at Queens College. Heilman's opposition spilled over into the media, where Heilman pointed to the fact that Bird held no Ph.D. while commentators took up the issue of Bird's Catholicism. At the time, Queens College President Allen Sessoms criticized Heilman, but subsequently appointed the late Dr. Benny Kraut, an Orthodox Jew, as head of the program. Sessoms was later forced to resign after a five year tenure as President in 2002, and the issue did not hamper Heilman's appointment as Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Queens, the highest rank in the City University, in 2004.
External links
- Articles by Samuel Heilman on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
- Debate between Chaim Rapoport and Samuel Heilman