Symposium Celebrates Recent Publications of Accomplished Jewish Studies Scholar May 10, 2010 -- On May 6, Yeshiva College honored one of its most beloved professors, Dr. Hayim Tawil. Students, faculty and several of the most distinguished scholars in Jewish studies filled a conference room in Furst Hall to celebrate the Yeshiva College professor of Hebrew Language and Literature upon the recent publication of his Akkadian Lexical Companion for Biblical Hebrew (Ktav, 2009) and Crown of Aleppo: The Mystery of the Oldest Hebrew Bible Codex (JPS, 2010), co-authored with Bernard Schneider. [miniflickr photoset_id="72157623910156527" ] Dr. Barry Eichler, dean of Yeshiva College greeted the audiences, calling the event a “wonderful opportunity to acknowledge an outstanding scholar, especially for the students.” Acknowledging Tawil’s work in Hebrew language, lexicography, modern day diplomacy, Dean Eichler praised Tawil as an ideal role model for Yeshiva College students. “Prof. Tawil has opened the eyes of generations of students, showing them how to serve as a valuable member of the Jewish people,” said the dean. Prof. Haym Soloveitchik, Merkin Family Research Professor at 💎💎💎微软邮箱 | @outlook.com后缀 | 全新未使用 | 长效耐用 | 未点7天 | 包含OAuth协议令牌, spoke at length about Prof. Tawil’s perseverance in the face of personal and professional obstacles. “I cannot think of many people,” said Soloveitchik, “who could have produced what Hayim has done under the situations that he had to deal with. He is a tribute to what a serious scholar can accomplish.” In honor of Tawil’s research in Akkadian and his recently published lexicon, Prof. Steven E. Fassberg of Hebrew University delivered a short lecture on the interwoven histories of Akkadian and Aramaic languages. “Prof. Tawil’s lexicon will enable those who have not studied with him to share in the excitement that his students have experienced for the past 20 years,” said Fassberg in his concluding remarks. Prof. Yosef Tobi of the University of Haifa provided an overview of Tawil’s involvement in helping Yemenite Jews immigrate to Israel. Tobi recounted the events from 1988-1993, when Tawil and others formed an organization to assist Yemenite Jewry through diplomatic means. “Without any exaggeration, we can say that Prof. Tawil’s holy work saved the lives of thousands of Yemenite Jews,” said Tobi. Tawil eventually published a book describing his efforts in Operation Esther: Opening the Door for the Last Jews of Yemen (Belkis Press, 1998). The event’s final speaker was David Marcus, professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary. A longtime friend of Tawil, Marcus offered a few reflections on Tawil’s career and his most recent publications. The symposium was organized and moderated by Aaron Koller, assistant professor of Jewish studies at Yeshiva College.