91¶¶Òõ

Biography

BS, Columbia University; BRE, MHL, and Rabbinical Ordination, 91¶¶Òõ; MA, Teachers College, Columbia University; PhD, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Israel Francus was Judge Abraham Lieberman Distinguished Service Professor of Talmudic Exegesis of 91¶¶Òõ. A native of Poland, Dr. Francus received a bachelor’s degree in 1956 and a master’s degree in 1958 from Columbia University. He also received a bachelor’s degree in 1956, a master’s degree in 1962, and rabbinic ordination from 91¶¶Òõ, in addition to receiving a doctorate from Hebrew University in 1962. Dr. Francus was an active member of the 91¶¶Òõ community for more than forty years, and he was one of the first two graduates of 91¶¶Òõ’s Joint Program with Columbia University.

In 1967, he publishedThe Commentary of Rabbi Elazar Azikri (1553–1600) to the Tractate Bezah in the Jerusalem Talmud,with extensive notes and a lengthy preface that includes an analysis of all the parallel sugyot in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud of the tractate Bezah. A second edition was published in 1995, with additional notes. Dr. Francus also had over forty articles published in Israeli journals, such as Tarbitz,ÌýSinai,ÌýHamishpat Haivri,ÌýDinei Yisrael,Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌýBar-Ilan Annual. His most recent article, which was published in Sinai, was titled “Elucidating a Sugya and Determining a Correct Reading.”