David Solomon (writer)

David Solomon is an Australian educator, scholar, translator and writer. Perhaps best known for his teaching in the area of Jewish Studies, Solomon has also made contributions in art and media.

In early 2005 Solomon devised his popular lecture, The Whole of Jewish History in One Hour . By December 2006, he had launched a full and international educational initiative, known as the 'In One Hour' series , with The Whole of Jewish History in One Hour continuing as the flagship presentation. The series comprises a catalogue of lectures, each of which provides basic introductions to a range of areas in Jewish Studies, grounded in traditional Jewish sources and combined, in some cases, with original visual mapping techniques. In 2008 Solomon produced a book called The Whole of Jewish History in One Hour.

Solomon is unequivocal in his promotion of Jewish history and Hebrew as the two most essential areas of learning for the Jewish world today. He also decries educational approaches in which students remain dependent on teachers for access to Jewish ideas and texts. Solomon aims to provide students with the necessary tools to be able to take responsibility for their own Jewish education by having the ability to read Jewish texts directly (Hebrew) and to understand these sources in context (Jewish history).

In March 2012, Solomon moved to Sydney in order take up a commissioned scholarship in residence with "synthesising teachings from a range of cultures"-organisation Neshama Life^[1][2] to complete the first-ever translation into English of the kabbalistic text Tikunei haZohar.

Solomon holds degrees in Anthropology, English Literature and Jewish Studies, as well as Media Broadcasting. He also spent almost five years learning in yeshivot (including Chabad) in both Israel and Australia. Solomon has lectured throughout the world on a range of topics, from Modern and Biblical Hebrew, to Kabbalah and Jewish history, as well as Anthropology of religion and Conceptual Art.

Solomon has collaborated extensively with artist Rodney Glick on a range of projects, including the Glick International Collection’s Klusian Philosophy and the Alice Black Theory of Emerging Art. As part of this collaboration, Solomon created the fictional philosopher Jean-Bernard Klus and wrote two books, one in the name of Klus (The Handbook of the Finite Mind) and the other in the name of Klus’s student Jose Palermo (Jose Palermo and the College of Disciples).

Solomon has produced a number of short films which have received distinction in a range of fringe film festivals in London and worked at various times during the 1980s and 1990s as a radio producer and presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and as an advertising copywriter.

Born in Australia, Solomon is married to Marjorie and has three children, Talya, Reuben and Tiferet.

References

Sources

• Official website of the In One Hour series.
• Pearlman, M "David Solomon: Making Jewish Wisdom Accessible and Relevant", Jewish Week, April 30, 2010
• Steinberg, J. "LimmudLA: 4,000 years of Jewish history in one hour", LA Jewish Journal, January 25, 2008
• Hermon, B. " The Whole of Jewish History in One Hour", Jerusalem Blueprint, December 23, 2007
• Rocker, S. "4,000 years of history in an hour", The Jewish Chronicle, March 8, 2007
• Glick International
• Hill, Peter "Lies and Superfictions" School of Creative Arts, University of Melbourne, 2004.