Michael Wyschogrod facts for kids
Michael Wyschogrod (born September 28, 1928 – died December 17, 2015) was a Jewish-American thinker. He was a philosopher and theologian. He also worked to bring Jewish and Christian people together. He taught about philosophy and religion at many universities. These schools were in the United States, Europe, and Israel.
Early Life
Michael Wyschogrod was born in Berlin, Germany. This was on September 28, 1928. He was the second child of Paul and Margaret Wyschogrod. His father was a chess master from Hungary. The family had moved to Berlin from Budapest. This happened after the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke apart. As a child, Michael spent summers in Budapest. He visited his grandparents there. His family left Nazi Germany. They arrived in the United States on July 3, 1939. Michael was ten years old then.
Education
Michael Wyschogrod was part of the Modern Orthodox movement. This is a part of Orthodox Judaism. The schools he went to taught both Jewish and regular subjects. He went to the Orthodox Adas Yisroel school in Berlin. After moving to New York City in 1939, he went to Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. This was a Yiddish-speaking school in Brooklyn, New York. He finished high school there in 1945.
At this school, he learned from Rabbi Shlomo Heiman. He learned that some parts of the Torah are not written down. They are passed on through how a person lives. Later, he studied Talmud with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. This was at Yeshiva University from 1946 to 1952.
He started studying philosophy in 1946. This was at City College of New York. He became interested in Christian Theology after reading Kierkegaard. He earned his first degree in 1949. Then he studied philosophy at Columbia University. He got his Ph.D. in 1953. His Ph.D. paper was later published. It was called Kierkegaard and Heidegger: the Ontology of Existence.
Teaching Career
Wyschogrod taught philosophy at several CUNY colleges. He was also the head of the Philosophy Department. This was at Baruch College in New York City. In 1992, he became a Professor of Religious Studies. This was at the University of Houston. He was also a guest professor at many other universities. These included Bar Ilan University in Israel and the University of Bern in Switzerland. He also taught at Yeshiva University in New York.
His Main Ideas
Michael Wyschogrod cared a lot about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. He worked and wrote about this topic. His book Abraham's Promise: Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations is important. In it, he asked Christians to see Judaism in a new way. He wanted them to not think Judaism is incomplete or old-fashioned. This is important for Jews and Christians to get along well.
Wyschogrod also had ideas for Jewish people. He said Jews should not just dismiss the idea of Christ's divinity. He believed Jews can reject it. But they should not say God becoming human is against the Hebrew Bible. He thought there was value in the Christian idea. This idea says God lives in Israel. It focuses this dwelling in one Jewish person.
Even his writings on Jewish theology showed this focus. He emphasized God's choice to enter human history. This happened through the people of Israel. He saw this as a powerful and lasting event. His ideas were similar to those of Karl Barth. Barth was a neo-orthodox Protestant theologian. Wyschogrod thought Barth's work was important for Jewish thinkers.
Books He Wrote
Wyschogrod's most famous book is The Body of Faith: God in the People Israel. It was first published in 1989. A second edition came out later. His book Abraham's Promise: Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations (2004) is a collection. It has many of his important essays. These essays are about Jewish-Christian relations.
Personal Life
Michael Wyschogrod was married to Edith Wyschogrod. She was also a philosopher.
