We a deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of David Biale just following his 75th birthday. Biale was a professor emeritus at UC Davis and a long-time Berkeley resident.
Biale was a well-known historian and an advocate for religious tolerance. He has authored and edited more than a dozen books in the field of Jewish thought and history.
Biale began teaching at UC Davis in 1999 and soon founded the Jewish Studies Program, where he served as director for five years. He previously served as the Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History, chair of the Department of History and director of the Davis Humanities Institute.
During his time at UC Davis, Biale won the UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, a Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and a UC President’s Fellowship in the Humanities.
Biale retired from the College of Letters and Science in 2022.
Our hearts go out to Biale’s wife Rachel, as well as his family, friends, colleagues and community.