Alexander Altmann

Alexander Altmann (1906–1987) was an Orthodox Jewish scholar and rabbi renowned for his extensive work on Moses Mendelssohn, whom he established as a significant original philosopher. Born in Austria-Hungary, he pursued his education in Germany, earning a Ph.D. in philosophy and rabbinic ordination before serving as a rabbi and professor in Berlin. He fled Nazi Germany in 1938, relocating to England where he continued his rabbinical duties and scholarly pursuits, notably publishing on Saadia Gaon. His academic career flourished in the United States, where he held a professorship at Brandeis University for over fifteen years. Altmann also made substantial contributions to the academic study of Jewish mysticism, often being the sole scholar in the US focusing on this area in a purely academic context. His influence extended to mentoring numerous students who became prominent scholars in Jewish studies.

Alexander Altmann's academic career spanned several decades, marked by significant contributions to Jewish philosophy and mysticism. After fleeing Nazi Germany, he served as a rabbi in Manchester, England, where he also founded and directed the Institute of Jewish Studies and edited scholarly journals. His move to Brandeis University in 1959 marked the beginning of his primary tenure in the United States, where he held a professorship in Jewish Philosophy and History of Ideas. Altmann is particularly recognized as the foremost scholar on Moses Mendelssohn, aiming to re-establish Mendelssohn's reputation as an original philosopher. He also dedicated considerable effort to the study of Jewish mysticism, often working in isolation within the American academic landscape on this subject. His scholarly activities also included work on medieval Jewish philosophers like Isaac Israeli and Maimonides, seeking to illuminate their thought and rescue them from obscurity.

In his later years, Alexander Altmann remained deeply engaged with intellectual life and scholarship. Following his retirement from Brandeis University, he held visiting professorships at Harvard and the Hebrew University. He continued to be a central figure in the Jewish scholarly community in the Boston area, often hosting students and colleagues for meals and discussions. Altmann's commitment to learning was lifelong; he even pursued new skills, such as attending a Coptic language class in his early seventies. He became an active member of an Orthodox synagogue in Newton, Massachusetts, where he contributed through sermons and lectures, drawing on his experiences as a rabbi in Berlin during the rise of Nazism. His final years were characterized by a sustained passion for knowledge and intellectual discourse.