Jacob H. Schiff and the Beginning of Biblical Archaeology in the United States (original) (raw)
2009, American Jewish History
AI-generated Abstract
Jacob H. Schiff, a significant Jewish philanthropist, played a pivotal role in the establishment of biblical archaeology in the United States, particularly through his financial support for Harvard University's Semitic Museum and the first American archaeological excavation in Palestine. This involvement challenged the prevailing perception of Jewish history and archaeology within the American academic landscape, which had previously marginalized these subjects. Schiff's contributions marked a transformative moment in the relationship between American scholarship and biblical archaeology, facilitating a shift towards a more inclusive view of ancient Jewish studies.
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I lt is really an honor to speak on this occasion, and to return to the National Foundation. This is my own 30th year as a Jewish academic, having fin ished my doctorate at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1974. I spent close to ten years at the University of Maryland, a large public university. I then was at Yale, and it is wonderful to see all my former colleagues from this institution who are here this evening And then I came to the University of Pennsylvania, where I've had the privilege during the past ten years of directing an institute for advanced study in Jewish civilization, which has already graduat ed-if we can speak of them graduating our programover 250 scholars. They come to study one area of Jewish learning; they hold weekly seminars; and they produce at the end of the year a book as well as a new collective vision of Jewish learning. From the prospective of sitting in the seat of the directorship of this pro gram, I've had the wonderful honor and opportunity of seeing many scholars, young/old from all over the world, and with this 1 bring a certain perspective, I hope, to these personal observations. I would love to begin by recognizing my professional ancestors. If only Leopold Zunz, Morits Steinschneider or David Kaufmann were alive-I could mention many other names-but those are the big three for me of the 19th Century.
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