In Memoriam: Laurence Silberstein, Founding Berman Professor of Jewish Studies

Professor emeritus Laurence J. Silberstein, the founding Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies at Lehigh University and a pioneering religion studies scholar, passed away on July 30, 2026, at the age of 89.

Silberstein joined Lehigh in 1984, where he established the university's Jewish Studies program and served as its founding Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies until his retirement in 2012. During nearly three decades at Lehigh, he shaped generations of students through his teaching, scholarship and commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry.

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