Yitzhak Baer

Yitzhak (Fritz) Baer (Also known as Fritz Bär, ; 20 December 1888 – 22 January 1980) was a German-Israeli historian and an expert on medieval Spanish Jewish history.

Early life Baer was born in Halberstadt in the Prussian Province of Saxony, Germany, in 1888. He studied philosophy, history and classical philology at Berlin University, the University of Strasbourg and the University of Freiburg.

He emigrated to Mandatory Palestine, now Israel, in 1930, and began lecturing on medieval Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was professor of medieval history at the University from 1932 to 1945.

Awards In 1945, Baer was awarded the Bialik Prize for Jewish thought. In 1958, he was awarded the Israel Prize, in Jewish studies. In 1968, he received the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award.