A Witness to the Existence of God: Music in the Work of Abraham J. Heschel.

Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought, September, 2000 by HEYMEL, MICHAEL

ABRAHAM HESCHEL [1] BEGAN TEACHING AT NEW YORK'S Jewish Theological Seminary in 1945. A short time later he married Sylvia Straus, a pianist whom he had already met in Cincinnati. Sylvia Straus, "a sensible, religious woman," had studied philosophy and literature. On the recommendation of Arthur Rubinstein she had become a master student of Eduard Steuermann (1892-1964), a Jew of Polish descent who had studied piano with Busoni, composition with Schoenberg and was affiliated with the New Vienna School. [2] Heschel began to write theological texts only after his marriage to Sylvia. His daughter Susannah describes the influence Sylvia Straus had on her husband's relationship to music: "My mother was a wonderful partner for him.... She brought music to him, which clearly...

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