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Eddy Zemach

Eddy Zemach was an Israeli philosopher and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known for his work in aesthetics and metaphysics.

1935 to 2021Philosophy of aestheticsWork in metaphysicsAhad Ha'am chair, Hebrew University

Born: 9 March 1935, Jerusalem
Died: 21 May 2021, Jerusalem
Occupation: philosopher, literary theorist, writer, aesthetician
Education: Yale University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Eddy Zemach was born in 1935 in Jerusalem

Zemach was born in Jerusalem in 1935 to Shimon and Hela Zemach, both dentists. His father sat on the city council for the Religious Workers faction. He grew up in the Kerem Avraham neighborhood and later attended the Beit HaKerem high school.

Through the academic reserve program he studied Hebrew literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University. After his military service he returned there for a master's degree, and he earned a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1965. In those years he also published literary criticism and short stories.

He taught at Yale and then in the philosophy department of the Hebrew University. He became a full professor in 1983 and held the Ahad Ha'am chair. His research covered aesthetics, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of psychology and philosophy of language, and he also wrote 3 science fiction books.

He retired from the department in 2003 and suffered a severe stroke in 2005. He was married to Mina Zemach from 1961 to 1973 and married Tami Zemach in 1981. He died on 21 May 2021.