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Raphael Patai dead at 8
Jay Bernstein (jbernst@PIPELINE.COM)
Fri, 26 Jul 1996 02:42:39 GMT
Raphael Patai died last week, according to today's New York Times. He was
a leading anthropologist and folklorist specializing in Jewish studies and
secondarily Arab studies. He was perhaps the last person to be not only a
cultural anthropologist but an archaeologist and physical anthropologist.
He wrote a book called "The Myth of the Jewish Race." He had two
doctorates (Budapest and Hebrew University,) and wrote over three dozen
books. That's not a typo! He was the first person to get a doctorate from
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He wrote a book about Hebrew
goddess-worship. He taught at Dropsie College, the Herzel [Herzl?]
Institute, and Fairleigh Dickinson University.
I quote from the obituary by Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.:
He was given a word-processor on his 80th birthday. He mastered the new
tool and turned out eight books in his last five years, including "Jewish
Seafaring in Ancient Times," which is awaiting publication.
Incredible.
Jay H. Bernstein
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