Sad News: David Ellenson
December 15, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
I am sad to share that David Ellenson, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and former director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis (2015-2018), passed away in New York on December 7, 2023. He was 76 years old.
Born in 1947, and raised in Newport News, Virginia, David received his BA from the College of William & Mary in 1969 and an MA in religious studies from the University of Virginia in 1972. He received his PhD from Columbia University in 1981. In 1977, he was ordained as a rabbi by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), and joined their faculty two years later. In 2001 he became president of HUC-JIR, a position he held for twelve years. David’s intellectual interests included modern Jewish history, ethics, Jewish religious thought, and the evolving relationship between Jewish law and emerging trends in contemporary American society. He was a world-renowned scholar, a prolific author and editor, and a beloved rabbi, educator, and mentor.
In 2015 David assumed directorship of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, where he taught and advised students from the undergraduate to the doctoral level, championed the expansion of important areas of Israel Studies, and presided over a wide range of programs. In 2017, under David’s leadership, Brandeis hosted the annual meeting of the Association of Israel Studies and one year later he convened a conference in celebration of the center’s 10th anniversary. Along with Michael Marmur, he edited an important collection on American Jewish Thought Since 1934 for Brandeis University Press. Professor Lisa Lynch, who was the provost during David’s time at Brandeis, called him an “extraordinary man.”
It is a remarkable testament to David’s spirit that, while he was admired as a prolific scholar of the highest caliber, he is perhaps remembered even more for his endless kindness, generosity, emotional openness, and good humor. Even years after leaving Brandeis, he held regular meetings with his former students and staff and was a wise and compassionate guide who shone with care and respect for everyone he came across. It is exceedingly rare for a gifted orator to also be an attentive listener, for a single individual to hold both a brilliant mind and a generous heart.
David is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Koch Ellenson; his children, Ruth Andrew Ellenson, Micah Ellenson, Nomi Ellenson May, Hannah Miriam Ellenson, and Rafi Ellenson; and his four grandchildren, Lily, Rose, Shai, and Yonah.
Notes of condolence may be sent to the Schusterman Center at scis@brandeis.edu, where they will be collated and sent to David’s family.
I am grateful to Alexander Kaye, Director of the Schusterman Center, for his contributions to this memoriam.
Sincerely,
Carol A. Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs