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Biography of Salo Wittmayer BaronName: Salo Wittmayer BaronBirth Date: May 26, 1895 Death Date: November, 1989 Place of Birth: Tarnow, Austria Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: scholar, historian, educator Salo Wittmayer Baron Salo Wittmayer Baron (1895-1989), an Austrian-born American scholar and educator, was the foremost Jewish historian of the 20th century.Salo Baron was born in Tarnow, Austria (now Poland), on May 26, 1895. From 1917 to 1923 he earned doctorates in philosophy, political science, and jurisprudence from the University of Vienna and a rabbinical degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary in Vienna. From 1919 to 1926 he lectured at the Juedisches Paedagogium (Jewish Teachers College) in Vienna.Academic Appointments in the United StatesIn 1926 Baron traveled to the United States, where he was appointed professor of history and librarian at the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. In 1930 he became the first professor of Jewish history, literature, and institutions on the Miller Foundation at Columbia University, where he served with distinction until retiring in 1963. He was also the first director of Columbia's Center of Israel and Jewish Studies, established in 1950. After 1954 he was visiting professor at the …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…the quarterly Jewish Social Studies.Legacy of ScholarshipAs professor of Jewish history at Columbia University, Baron trained a generation of Jewish scholars who later occupied chairs in Jewish studies at leading universities throughout the world. His research as well as his concern for training others contributed greatly to the advancement of Jewish scholarship, especially in the United States. At the time of his death in November 1989, Baron was hailed as "undoubtedly the greatest Jewish historian of the 20th century," by historian Yosef Hayim Yerushaimi, himself the product of Baron's tutelage and the holder of the Salo Wittmayer Baron Chair of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University, a position established in 1980 to honor Baron's long association with the university. Further Reading For a comprehensive account of Baron's life and career, see Robert Liberles, Salo Wittmayer Baron: Architect of Jewish History (1995). Baron's obituary appeared in the New York Times (November 26, 1989). |