Nima Adlerblum

Nima Adlerblum (August 4, 1881 -- July 25, 1974) was a philosopher, writer, educator, and Zionist activist. Her father was Rabbi Chaim Hirschensohn, a prominent Zionist activist and early proponent of Religious Zionism.

Early life Adlerblum was born Nehama Hirschensohn to parents Chaim and Chava Hirschensohn in Jerusalem, Ottoman Palestine. She was the oldest of five children, including Tamar De Sola Pool and Tehilla Lichtenstein. In 1901, her family emigrated to Turkey, and in 1903, they settled in the United States. Her father led five congregations in Hoboken, New Jersey. She studied at the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris.

Philosophy

Adlerblum was strongly influenced by nineteenth-century romanticism and the works of Yehuda Halevi. In 1917, she published "A Reinterpretation of Jewish Philosophy," in which she argued that Jewish philosophy existed distinct from the surrounding Greek and Muslim influences, shaped directly by the historical experiences of the Jewish people. In "A Study of Gersonides in His Proper Perspective," Adlerblum argues that while Maimonides thought "theology was a superimposed structure on Judaism," Gersonides believed that "Jewish theology could not be torn away from tradition, from the laws and from historical experiences." She claims that both philosophers must be studied independently of the Greek philosophers of the time, such as Aristotle.

She worked with Rabbi Leo Jung, contributing to works in his Jewish Heritage series. After her death, he described her as "a unique manifestation of the human spirit."

She often advocated on behalf of Jews in European countries, publishing reports on the conditions of Jewry in Germany and Italy. She reportedly helped 250 Jewish refugees in Italy flee Hitler.

Publications Reflections on the Life and Work of Rabbi David de Sola Pool. Tradition (New York), 1995-10, Vol. 30 (1), p. 7-16. Hadassah and the Gender of Modern Jewish Thought: The Affective, Embodied Messianism of Jessie Sampter, Irma Lindheim, and Nima Adlerblum. American Jewish history, 2020-04, Vol. 104 (2), p. 423-456. A Perspective for the Study of Jewish Philosophy. The Journal of Philosophy, 1923-08, Vol. 20 (17), p. 457-466 Hadassah and the gender of modern Jewish thought: the affective, embodied Messianism of Jessie Sampter, Irma Lindheim, and Nima Adlerblum. American Jewish History 104,2-3 (2020) p. 423-456. The Philosophy of Don Hasdai Crescas. The Journal of Philosophy, 1921, Vol. 18 (26), pp. 721-722. Dodi Ve-Nechi. The Journal of Philosophy, 1922, Vol. 19 (23), pp. 639-641. THE COLLECTIVE JEWISH SPIRIT: An Interpretation of Jewish Philosophy. Tradition (New York), 1960-10, Vol. 3 (1), p. 44-59. Gollancz's Translation of Dodi Ve-Nechdi (Uncle and Nephew) (Book Review). The Journal of Philosophy, 1922, Vol. 19 (23), p. 639. Husik's A History of Medieval Jewish Philosophy (Book Review). Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods, 1918, Vol. 15 (1), p. 22. A History of Medieval Jewish Philosophy. The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods, 1918, Vol. 15 (1), p. 22-25. A Reinterpretation of Jewish Philosophy. Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods, 1917-03, Vol. 14 (7), p. 181-189.