William Chomsky

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William Chomsky
Born
Ze'ev Chomsky

1895 or 1896
Kupil, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire
Died (aged 81)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Spouses
  • Elsie Simonofsky
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1927; died 1972)​
  • Ruth Schendel
    ​
    (m. 1973)​
Children2, including
Dropsie College
(1955–1977)
Notable worksHebrew: The Eternal Language (1957)

William Chomsky (born Ze'ev Chomsky; 1895/1896 – July 19, 1977) was an American scholar of the

Hebrew language. He was born in the Russian Empire (modern Ukraine
) and settled in the United States in 1913.

From 1924 until 1969, he was a member of the faculty at the Jewish teacher-training institution

Dropsie College, to which he was affiliated until 1977. He was the father of Noam Chomsky
.

Life

Background and early life

Chomsky was born in 1895 or 1896 in

Mikveh Israel religious school from 1923.[1]
: 12 

At Gratz and Dropsie colleges

From 1924, Chomsky taught at

Dropsie College from 1955–77.[2]

Chomsky was a specialist of the history of the Hebrew grammatical tradition, before and after David Kimhi (1160–1235). His Associated Press obituary (published in The New York Times) describes him as "one of the world's foremost Hebrew grammarians".[2] Independently, he was involved in researching Medieval Hebrew, eventually authoring a series of books on the language: How to Teach Hebrew in the Elementary Grades (1946), Hebrew, the Story of a Living Language (1947), Hebrew, the Eternal Language (1957), Teaching and Learning (1959), and an edited version of David Kimhi's Hebrew Grammar (1952).[4]: 9–10 

Described by Carlos Otero in Chomsky and the Libertarian Tradition as a "very warm, gentle, and engaging" individual, William Chomsky placed a great emphasis on educating people so that they would be "well integrated, free and independent in their thinking, and eager to participate in making life more meaningful and worthwhile for all."[4]: 11 

Personal life

On August 19, 1927, Chomsky married Elsie Simonofsky (1903–1972), a native of Babruysk, who was raised in the United States from 1906. She also taught at Gratz College.[1]: 3  The couple had two sons: Noam (born 1928), the linguist and activist, and David Eli (1934–2021), a physician.[4]: 11 [1]: 3  The year after his first wife's death, William Chomsky married Ruth Schendel, by then widowed, who was the mother of one of his elder son's childhood friends.[1]: 35 

Death

Chomsky died at his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 19, 1977, at the age of 81.[2][3]

Selected bibliography

  • Chomsky, William (1945). "How the Study of Hebrew Grammar Began and Developed".
    JSTOR 1452188
    .
  • Chomsky, William (1946). How to Teach Hebrew in the Elementary Grades. New York: United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education.
  • Chomsky, William (1952). David Ḳimḥi's Hebrew Grammar (Mikhlol). New York: Bloch Publishing Company.
  • Chomsky, William (1957). Hebrew: The Eternal Language. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America.
    LCCN 57-8140
    .

References

  1. ^ a b c d Feinberg, Harriet (February 1999). "Elsie Chomsky: A Life in Jewish Education" (PDF). Brandeis.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dr. William Chomsky, 81, Hebrew Grammarian, Dies". The New York Times. July 22, 1977. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "William Chomsky Dead at 81" (PDF). JTA Daily News Bulletin. Vol. XLIV, no. 141. July 26, 1977. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 22, 2016.
  4. ^
    LCCN 96-29013
    .
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