101 years old at the time of his death • He was one of the greatest sages of Israel in recent generations, a world-renowned linguist and beloved of the city of Jerusalem • He left behind thousands of students and hundreds of books and studies
"Our spring never ceased to innovate and explore"
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Tzachi - From Wikipedia
Prof. Yehoshua Blau, winner of the Israel Prize for Linguistics, passed away today (Tuesday) at the age of 101 in Jerusalem.
He was one of the greatest sages of Israel in recent generations, a world-renowned linguist in the study of Hebrew and Arabic and a darling of the city of Jerusalem.
Blau, who was born in Romania in 1919, immigrated to Israel in 1938 as a refugee from Europe with a special certificate from the Hebrew University.
He fought in the War of Independence in the battles over Jerusalem and Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, and later, in parallel with his development as a brilliant researcher of the Arabic language, continued in the service of the Intelligence Corps.
The product of one of his first studies was a Western translation and a re-editing of Maimonides' answers. From then until his last days he never stopped reviewing and researching.
Among his positions: President of the Hebrew Academy of Languages, senior member of the Israeli Academy of Sciences, honorary member and even honorary president of several academies around the world.
Blau was married for 75 years to Shulamit nee Habib (sister of Avshalom Habib, a gallows immigrant).
Together they raised a tribe to glory, and in recent years have been privileged to embrace two fifties (the great-grandchildren).
He left behind thousands of students in Israel and around the world and hundreds of books and studies.
His funeral will be held tomorrow morning in Jerusalem, subject to corona restrictions.