Dr. Jonathan Fine ZL
The following eulogy of Dr. Jonathan Fine was given by Prof. Boaz Ganor on September 8, 2015 during the 15th Annual World Summit on Counter-Terrorism at the Sharon Hotel, Herzliya.
Dr. Jonathan Fine was a Senior Researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), a faculty member at the Lauder School of Government, and a dear colleague and friend of mine who passed away around two weeks ago.
It was during a speaking tour that Jonathan was giving in the Far East, which began in China and Japan, and ended with his tragic death in Australia.
There are many people in this hall who knew Jonathan personally and others who did not, but even those who knew him well were not necessarily aware of how great a scholar he truly was, a real pundit.
As the grandson of one of Israel’s greatest poets of all time – Alexander Penn – Jonathan inherited a love for art and literature and, in this framework, he wrote literary publications: “Mario Ran Far” (2001), “the Greatest of them is Love” (2003), and “On Three Bridges” (2005).
Jonathan was a spiritual person and a man of values, and as such he was ordained as a conservative rabbi.
Jonathan was a leading scholar specializing in religion, fundamentalism and political violence, with special emphasis on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He also had a deep interest in Middle Eastern and Israeli Studies, with special emphasis on US and EU policies in the region.
In this framework, Jonthan published two books: “The Birth of a State: The Establishment of the Israeli Governmental System” (2009), and recently, “Political Violence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: From Holy War to Modern Terror”.
As I mentioned, Jonathan was a faculty member at the Lauder School of Government, and the academic advisor to students. As such, he was one of the most beloved and popular teachers among students. Jonathan educated generations of students, and instilled in them knowledge and a love of learning as well as respect and love of man.
Jonathan’s family is with us today – his wife, Ruti, and his sons, Micky and Danny. All of us, his family and friends, are still shocked by his sudden death. Jonathan was supposed to speak at this conference and even though he didn’t get to do so, he is with us today in spirit and I would like to honor his memory by asking everyone in the audience to please stand for a minute of silence in his memory.
May the memory of Dr. Jonathan Fine be blessed.
For Dr. Jonathan Fine’ biography, click here
