Professor emeritus Laurence J. "Larry" Silberstein and inaugural Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, passed away on July 30, 2026, at the age of 89.
Silberstein joined Lehigh in 1984, where he established the university's Jewish Studies program and served as its founding Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies until his retirement in 2012. Across nearly three decades, he shaped the intellectual fabric of the Lehigh community, playing a pivotal role in establishing two Berman chairs, and the Apter Chair in Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values.
As the founding director of the Berman Center, he developed an extensive program in Jewish Studies that included courses, biennial conferences, study programs in Israel, a visiting position at the Gregorian University in Rome and a book series with New York University Press.
Before and during his time at Lehigh, his distinguished academic career included appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, Princeton University, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has contributed chapters to numerous books and his articles on modern Jewish thought and culture have appeared in many journals in both English and Hebrew.
Silberstein’s life and legacy are further explored in messages from Lehigh’s Office of the Provost and College of Arts and Sciences.
