A great light extinguished: Rabbi Prof. Shlomo Slonim, scholar of two worlds – opinion

Rabbi Prof. Shlomo Slonim, a Torah scholar and professor of American history at Hebrew University, has died at 95. Former Supreme Court deputy president Elyakim Rubinstein writes a personal tribute to his friend and study partner, highlighting Slonim's unique synthesis of religious and academic life, his expertise on the US Constitution, and his passionate Zionism.

Rabbi Prof. Shlomo Slonim, a distinguished Torah scholar and professor of American history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has passed away at the age of 95. The obituary, written by former Supreme Court deputy president Elyakim Rubinstein, highlights Slonim's unique synthesis of intensive Torah study and rigorous academic scholarship. Born in Melbourne, Australia, into a Lithuanian Jewish scholarly tradition, Slonim left home at 16 to study at the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, receiving rabbinic ordination. He later earned a doctorate in international law from Columbia University and taught American history at Hebrew University, becoming an authority on the US Constitution and Israel-US relations. Slonim was a passionate Zionist and served in the army reserves. The article notes his moving recitation of the Priestly Blessing and his legacy of Torah study and teaching.