Meir Jacob Kister

Meir Jacob Kister
מאיר יעקב קיסטר
Born	(1914-01-16)16 January 1914 Mościska,Poland
Died	16 August 2010(2010-08-16)(aged 96) Jerusalem,Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Awards	Israel Prize(1981) Rothschild Prize(1988)
Academic background
Alma mater	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Academic work
Discipline	Arabist
Sub-discipline	Islamic studies
Institutions	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Notable works	Studies in Arabic Literature and History

Meir Jacob Kister(Hebrew:מאיר יעקב קיסטר‎ 16 January 1914 inMościska– 16 August 2010 inJerusalem) was aJewishArabistfromPolandwho worked inIsrael.

Career

Kister went to school inSanokandPrzemyśl.In 1932 he began studies in law at theUniversity of Lviv,but in 1933 he moved toWarsaw,where he worked in a publishing house. In 1939 he emigrated toPalestine,where he studiedArabicin theHebrew University of Jerusalem,among others underDavid Hartwig BanethandShlomo Dov Goitein.In 1945–46 he worked as press secretary of the Polish embassy atBeirut.From 1946 to 1958 he taught Arabic at theHebrew Reali SchoolinHaifa.

At the same time he continued his studies, achieving an M.A. in 1949 and completed his Ph.D. in 1964. Since 1958 he taught at the Hebrew University, where he was active since 1964 as senior lecturer and from 1970 until his retirement in 1983 as professor. He helped to establish the Arabic Departments in the universities ofTel AvivandHaifa.

Since 1975 he was a member of theIsrael Academy of Sciences.In 1981 he received theIsrael Prize,and in 1988 theRothschild Prize.

He is the father ofbiblical scholarMenahem Kister.

Sources

• Biography of Prof. M. J. Kisterat Hebrew University of Jerusalem(in English)
• Tottoli, R. (2010).MEIR J. KISTER (1914-2010).Oriente Moderno, 90(2), 299-302(in Italian)

External links

• Websiteat Hebrew University of Jerusalem dedicated to Kister's work