David Hartman

Rabbi Prof. David Hartman was a leading thinker among philosophers of contemporary Judaism and an internationally renowned Jewish author. In 1971, Prof. Hartman immigrated to Israel from Montreal with his wife Barbara and their five children, a move which he viewed as an essential part of his mission to encourage a greater understanding between Jews of diverse affiliations - both in Israel and the Diaspora - and to help build a more pluralistic and tolerant Israeli society. It is with this unique vision that David Hartman founded the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem in 1976, dedicating it to the name of his father. At the institute, Prof. Hartman built a team of research scholars in the study and teaching of classical Jewish sources and contemporary issues of Israeli society and Jewish life. David Hartman's work emphasized the centrality of the rebirth of the State of Israel - the challenge as well as the opportunities it offers to contemporary Judaism. His teachings drew upon the tradition of Orthodox Judaism and emphasize religious pluralism, both among Jews and in interfaith relations.