Judah Goldin
Judah Goldin was an American scholar of rabbinic literature, a noted translator of classical Jewish texts, and one of the earliest academics to introduce Jewish studies into the American university system. He was widely regarded as a leading authority on Pirke Avot and the aggadic midrashim.
Early life and education
Goldin was born in New York City in 1914. In 1934 he earned one bachelor's degree in social science from City College of New York, and another in Hebrew literature from the Seminary College of the Jewish [Theological Seminary of America|Jewish Theological Seminary]. He later received a master's degree from Columbia University in 1938, and both a second master's degree and a doctorate in Hebrew literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also received rabbinic ordination.Academic career
Goldin began his academic career in 1943 at Duke University, becoming one of the first three Jewish scholars appointed to teach Jewish studies in an American university, alongside Harry Wolfson of Harvard and Salo Baron of Columbia.He subsequently taught at the University of Iowa and later served as dean of the Seminary College of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America beginning in 1952. In 1958 he joined the faculty of Yale University, drawn by the opportunity to teach Jewish studies in a liberal-arts environment.
From 1973 until his retirement in 1985, Goldin was professor of post-biblical Hebrew literature at the University of Pennsylvania. His lectures were widely admired for their clarity and intellectual rigor; students often applauded at the end of each class.
Scholarship and honors
Goldin was internationally recognized for his expertise in Midrash, particularly the aggadic interpretations of the early rabbinic sages. Jeffrey Tigay wrote that “no scholar has done more than he to clarify what is happening in the nonlegal parts of Rabbinic literature or to place that literature squarely within the realm of humanistic studies.”Goldin's scholarship combined philological training, gained from teachers such as Louis Finkelstein, Louis Ginzberg, Saul Lieberman and H. L. Ginsberg, with a literary sensibility informed by his lifelong engagement with Western literature and the influence of his wife, the poet and photographer Grace Goldin.
He was awarded numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright research fellowship, a fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Annenberg fellowship. A scholarly symposium was held in his honor in 1998 at the University of Pennsylvania, and published in 1999.
Major works
Goldin's major scholarly works include:- '
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- ''Studies in Midrash and Related Literature''
Teaching style and influence
Goldin was known for his challenging classroom presence. His lectures were described as “electric,” and students frequently applauded at the end of class sessions.He played a foundational role in establishing Jewish studies within American higher education, helping to shape the field at a time when very few scholars taught Judaica in secular universities. Colleagues and former students remembered him as a mentor who treated younger scholars with respect and credited them in his published work.
Personal life and death
Goldin lived for many years in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He was married to Grace Goldin, a poet and photographer, until her death in 1995. He was the uncle of former New York City comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, as well as the uncle of the historian and rabbi Gerson D. Cohen.Goldin died of respiratory failure at the age of 83 on May 30, 1998, at Bryn Mawr Hospital, five days after falling into a coma. He and his wife together had two children.