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Gerald Blidstein

Gerald Blidstein was a scholar of Jewish law and Jewish philosophy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev who received the Israel Prize in 2006.

1938 to 2020Research on Maimonides' political thoughtStudies of the Mishneh TorahThe 2006 Israel Prize

Born: 11 June 1938, New York City
Died: 10 September 2020
Occupation: historian, Judaic scholar, university teacher
Education: Yeshiva University, Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy

Gerald Blidstein was born in 1938 in New York City

Gerald Yaakov Blidstein was born in New York in 1938. He was married to Batya, a psychologist, and they had 6 children.

He earned a B.A. at Yeshiva University and an M.A. in English and comparative literature at Columbia University in 1961. In 1968 he completed a PhD in Rabbinics at Yeshiva University under Abraham Weiss. He studied with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who ordained him as a rabbi.

He taught at Stern College for Women, Temple University and McGill University. In 1972 he moved to Israel and joined Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, becoming a full professor in 1985. He headed its Jewish philosophy department and also taught at Tel Aviv University.

His research focused on Jewish law and the political thought of Maimonides, especially the Mishneh Torah. His book on political concepts in Maimonides first appeared in 1983. He was the first Ben-Gurion University faculty member to receive the Israel Prize and joined the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2007.

He died on September 10, 2020, and was buried in Beersheba.