JQR Mourns the Passing of Arnie Band

The Jewish Quarterly Review mourns the loss of Professor Arnold J. Band z”l, who passed away on July 7, 2024. Arnie  was a longstanding member of JQR’s editorial board, as well as a fellow of the Katz Center’s year on modern Jewish literatures in 2004–05. He was widely recognized in the United States and Israel as one of the leading scholars of modern Hebrew literature, with a particular interest in Nobel laureate Sh. Y. Agnon. Arnie was also a major institution builder, contributing significantly to the growth of Jewish studies at UCLA and serving as the first director of the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies; he also played an important role in establishing the Association for Jewish Studies in 1969. Above all, Arnie Band was a legendary teacher, who introduced thousands of students to modern Hebrew and Jewish literature, always insisting on careful attention to both form and content. He was beloved by generations of students and colleagues and will be sorely missed. May his memory be a blessing.   

To read more about Professor Band z”l, see this obituary by JQR editor David N. Myers.