... Alan Segal died a few days ago, after a long illness. He was not much of a believer, he once confessed to me. But I disagree. He belonged to the cathedral of learning, a blessed place where penitents transcend and lose themselves in a larger, deeper, boundless world. Scholarship was his Jerusalem. He inspired me and I'd like to see him off now, and thank him, with a portion of the psalm he used to welcome his students into his classroom:On a related note, Diana Muir Appelbaum has written to me to say that Alan showed her a late draft of a complete book manuscript last summer, which he intended to publish. Does anyone know the status of this manuscript, which would be his final book?
How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget [its skill].
6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.
UPDATE: Tzvee Zahavy e-mails:
Alan's book is complete and at the publisher in the final phases prior to publication.UPDATE: Another tribute from Jeffrey Garcia at his Helek Tov blog. (HT Joseph Lauer.)
His expansive thoughtful review of my son's book appeared on the Brill site yesterday, I saw it there after returning from Alan's funeral.
A REVIEW OF YITZHAK ZAHAVY, ARCHAEOLOGY, STAMPS, AND COINS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
The Review of Rabbinic Judaism
ISSN: 1568-4857, Online ISSN: 1570-0704
DOI: 10.1163/157007010X536339
Volume 13, Issue 2, pages 262-274
http://brill.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/rrj/2010/00000013/00000002/art00008