Gershom Scholem
1897–1982 (age 85)
historian/philosopher
Biography
Born in Berlin and drawn to the hidden currents of Jewish thought, Gershom Scholem arrived in Palestine in the early 1920s and became the first scholar to treat Kabbalah with the tools of modern historiography, founding the Department of Jewish Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and collecting manuscripts that would anchor generations of research.
His books, including Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, remain foundational, and his presence among the luminaries of Sanhedria Cemetery recalls a life that bridged scholarship and faith, ensuring the spiritual heritage of Judaism received its rightful academic rigor.