JTS Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Rabbi Neil Danzig z”l

July 7, 2025: Professor Rabbi Neil Danzig z”l taught Rabbinics at JTS for many years and was widely recognized as a leading scholar in the field of Geonica. He passed away on Thursday, July 3.

A towering figure in the study of medieval rabbinic literature, he contributed mightily to our understanding of the halakhic writings of the Geonim (post-Talmudic Babylonian scholars) and the Cairo Geniza. 

His scholarly interests were combined in his magisterial work, Mavo le-Sefer Halakhot Pesuqot (JTS Publications, 1999) in which he, based on available manuscript evidence and Cairo Geniza fragments, reconstructed the text of this major halakhic work which had been lost for centuries. Among his many publications were numerous studies on the responsa literature of the Geonim, medieval scribal practices, and the evidence and causes transitioning the transmission of the Talmud from oral to written media in the medieval period. 

JTS Professor Jonathan Milgram felt privileged to have served on the faculty with Professor Danzig. “To say I miss him is an understatement. We quickly became friends and, despite the over 20-year age difference, I would say soulmates.” He also reflected on Professor Danzig’s scholarly influence, “Neil was an exceptional colleague and senior mentor to many scholars around the globe. His erudition and critical eye helped me professionally as I grew into my position at JTS.”   

Rabbi Ethan Tucker, who studied under Professor Danzig while pursuing his Ph.D., reflected on the profound influence Danzig had on him as a teacher: “He showed me the way—whether he fully intended to or not—to see my academic interests as intertwined with my fulfilment of Talmud Torah.”  Rabbi Tucker also spoke about the lasting impact Professor Danzig had on his students, “He always spoke to us like the budding scholars he hoped we would be. Nothing was held back, nothing was dumbed down. He assumed we were up to the task and therefore he expected that we were.” 

May Professor Danzig’s legacy and memory forever be a blessing. 

Read more about Professor Danzig in JTA.