{"id":114684,"date":"2024-12-20T13:16:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T18:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=114684"},"modified":"2024-12-28T07:27:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T12:27:44","slug":"remembering-neil-hecht","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2024\/remembering-neil-hecht\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Professor Emeritus and Rabbi Neil S. Hecht, Renowned Jewish Law Scholar"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1067\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Neil Hecht\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427.jpg 1067w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-636x536.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-1024x864.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-768x648.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-979x826.jpg 979w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-809x682.jpg 809w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-408x344.jpg 408w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-627x529.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/12-4930-LAWPICS-427-816x688.jpg 816w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">In Memoriam<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRemembering Professor Emeritus and Rabbi Neil S. Hecht, Renowned Jewish Law Scholar\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Hecht, who was also an expert in evidence and property law, founded the Institute of Jewish Law at BU Law and helped create the Jewish Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">December 20, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/rebecca-beyer\/\">Rebecca Beyer<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/neil-s-hecht\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neil S. Hecht<\/a>, a student and scholar of Jewish law who taught at Boston University School of Law for forty-six years, beloved by students and colleagues alike, passed away on November 11 at ninety years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hecht also researched and published in the areas of evidence and property\u2014his publication <em>Long-Term Lease Planning and Drafting<\/em> was selected as a sourcebook for real estate transaction seminars by the American Law Institute and the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Continuing Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best known for his contributions to <em>halakha<\/em>, generally translated in English as \u201cJewish law,\u201d Hecht helped create an intellectual home for the subject in the United States. He founded the Institute of Jewish Law at BU Law in 1983 and remained its director until he retired in 2010. In 1985, the institute began publishing the <em>Jewish Law Annual<\/em>, a peer-reviewed publication on Jewish law, Jewish philosophy, Jewish history, and biblical studies. The journal quickly became the pre-eminent forum for English language scholarship on Jewish law in the United States and internationally, and is now housed at Hebrew University.&nbsp; In 1992, Hecht also helped create the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aals.org\/sections\/list\/jewish-law\/\" target=\"_blank\">Association of American Law Schools\u2019 Section on Jewish Law<\/a>, which he once chaired. Hecht was honored by the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford for using Jewish law to solve a riddle surrounding its Greek Metrological Relief statue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Windows onto Jewish Legal Culture Volume 1<\/em>, published in 2011 and co-edited by Hecht, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Windows-onto-Jewish-Legal-Culture-Volume-1-Fourteen-Exploratory-Essays\/Ben-Menahem-Edrei-Hecht\/p\/book\/9781032922027?srsltid=AfmBOoobcTVlD7h3Uf1g-B2X7Hpo5JxD3LeegfIYym1wvCWPotM0BwpH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introduction states<\/a> that in Jewish legal culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\" style=\"flex-basis:4.9%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\" style=\"flex-basis:86%\">\n<p>\u201c\u2026 students are encouraged to speak their mind, even if their opinions diverge from the received view, empowering individuals to participate in the evolution of the law\u2026 this participation has a ripple effect, generating a sense in the community that the law, being an ongoing enterprise rather than dictated from above, is democratic, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After Hecht retired in 2010, the <em>Jewish Law Annual<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/api.pageplace.de\/preview\/DT0400.9781136576881_A23834585\/preview-9781136576881_A23834585.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published a festschrift\u2014or collection of writings\u2014in his honor<\/a>, calling him \u201ca man of vision and action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hecht made \u201ca monumental contribution to the flourishing of Jewish law scholarship in the United States,\u201d the editors wrote. He \u201cunderstood that for a discipline to thrive, it must have an intellectual \u2018home\u2019 to provide the infrastructure for the exchange of information and research, and serve both as a meeting place for researchers and an anchor for individual scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the helm of the Institute of Jewish Law, they continued, Hecht had a hand in \u201calmost every major endeavor in the field of Jewish law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At BU Law, where Hecht was on the faculty for nearly half a century, colleagues could \u201cconnect with Neil about anything,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/angela-onwuachi-willig\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/a>, Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She continued, \u201cNeil dedicated himself to his values in every aspect of his life. While his time connecting with his colleagues and the community at BU Law can be quantified in years, it may be more aptly quantified in the lasting impact of his genuine kindness. We will continue to remember Neil by acting on what we most value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many marveled at Hecht\u2019s kindness. Professor of Law Emerita and former William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/wendy-j-gordon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wendy Gordon<\/a>, asserted, \u201cHis kindness was amazing. &nbsp;Talking to him felt like I was making contact with some stream of life that was sweet and deep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hecht earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Yeshiva College in 1954; he was the highest-ranking student in each of his four years and also competed on the varsity fencing and debate teams. In 1956, he received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University\u2019s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Three years later, he graduated from Yale Law School, where he was on the board of editors of the <em>Yale Law Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He practiced as an associate at two law firms in New York and served as vice president and general counsel of an investment banking firm before returning to his legal studies, this time at Columbia Law School, where he earned an LLM and a Doctor of Juridical Science in 1964 and 1972, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"1001\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-114701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-572x636.jpg 572w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-768x854.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-743x826.jpg 743w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-613x682.jpg 613w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-309x344.jpg 309w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-476x529.jpg 476w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2024\/12\/BUSL-faculty-1968-or-1969_hechtcrop-619x688.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption>Professor Neil Hecht with the BU Law faculty in the late 1960s.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Hecht began teaching at BU Law in 1964 and was promoted from associate professor to full professor of law in just two years\u2019 time. In addition to his role as founding director of the Institute of Jewish Law, he was co-director of the Joint Project in Jewish Legal Bioethics, a collaboration among BU Law, the Chobanian &amp; Avedisian School of Medicine, and the School of Public Health, from 1991 to 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the many publications he wrote or edited are <em>Jewish Jurisprudence<\/em>; <em>Selected Topics in Jewish Law<\/em>; <em>Controversy and Dialogue in Halakhik Sources<\/em>; <em>Jewish Law in Context<\/em>; and <em>An Introduction to the History and Sources of Jewish Law<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hecht was a devoted teacher and treasured colleague who won BU Law\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/alumni\/alumni-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Silver Shingle Award<\/a> for Service to the Profession, given to outstanding contributors to the legal academic community, and the Michael W. Melton Award for Excellence in Teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo faculty member I have ever known was more devoted to his students than Neil,\u201d shares Philip S. Beck Professor of Law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/jack-m-beermann\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jack M. Beerman<\/a>. \u201cHe was also very kind to his colleagues; we spent many fruitful hours in conversation, some serious and some more light-hearted. He helped rekindle my interest in studying Jewish law, which I treasure. I feel lucky to have known him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor of Law Emeritus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/david-j-seipp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David J. Seipp<\/a> said Hecht inspired \u201clove and respect\u201d and had a keen sense of humor. He recalled a celebration of Hecht\u2019s teaching career at which the school presented him with a \u201crare historic item of Judaica.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe took it gratefully, and immediately, with a sincere voice, said that if he had known that he would get such a valuable and tangible gift that so well embodied the subject matter of his teaching, he would have kept teaching real estate,\u201d Seipp recalled. \u201cI\u2019m still laughing at that memory from decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A cousin of Hecht\u2019s, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishpress.com\/sections\/in-memoriam\/remembering-my-cousin-rabbi-professor-neil-s-hecht\/2024\/11\/14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">writing in the <em>Jewish Press<\/em><\/a>, said her relative\u2019s life work was \u201cbridging Jewish and secular law and charting a path for numerous students to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Hecht is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dignitymemorial.com\/obituaries\/brookline-ma\/neil-hecht-12072018\">survived by<\/a> his wife, Ren\u00e9e Citron Hecht; his children, Jonathan Hecht and Sharon Kramer; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neil S. Hecht, a student and scholar of Jewish law who taught at Boston University School of Law for forty-six years, beloved by students and colleagues alike, passed away on November 11 at ninety years old.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19416,"featured_media":114705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"In Memoriam","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[3859,3863,1811],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3751,3786],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/114684"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19416"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114684"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/114684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114733,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/114684\/revisions\/114733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114684"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=114684"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=114684"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=114684"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=114684"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=114684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}