Allen Mandelbaum

"J'étais comme celui en qui sont des traces d'une vision oubliée, et qui s'ingénie en vain pour la rappeler en sa mémoire, lorsque j'ouis cette invitation, digne de tant de gratitude, que jamais elle ne s'effacera du livre où le passé se consigne."
Dante - La Divine Comédie

Nous n'avons jamais eu l'occasion de nous rencontrer ni d'échanger, mais merci pour un jour vos mots bien au chaud transmis par Jo.
See you soon Allen.

Je ne l'ai pas connu personnellement.

Il n'a pas été mon maître et je n'ai pas travaillé avec lui.

Je suis moi même une immigrée de la Mitteleuropa vers l'Ouest européen. Le Mur de Berlin, le Kishinev de mes aïeuls et un ami roumain m'ont fait rencontrer son fils, Jonathan, à Paris, à l'Institut Culturel Roumain. Bien plus tard, j'ai découvert sur Internet les Chelmaxioms. J'ai pensé à mon maître, Tobie Nathan, à la chance et à la joie d'avoir eu un maître. Chelmaxioms est un tel livre, celui d'un maître… de temps en temps, on l'ouvre, on traverse le seuil de la porte, on se rappelle. On le ferme et le dépose quelque part, sur une pile d'autres livres. On l'oublie. On le reprend demain pour voir ce que les Chelmer disent aujourd'hui, discours de grâce et de folie, douloureux, tendre, tactile. Quand Jonathan m'a annoncé la mort de son père, j'ai ouvert ce livre et je suis tombée sur la page huit, les cinq chemins d'entrée à Chelm…

Goodbye, Sir Allen…

"It says
there is the Gate of the Event.

To near is not to enter;
to enter, not to know.

To know is not to be.
But speech is touch,

is wound, caress, is
revery of entry."

(Chelmaxioms, Gatesongs, for the five entryways to Chelm).

I studied with Prof. Mandelbaum at CUNY in 1966. In addition to being charming and erudite, he was very much interested in his students. He invited us to his apartment on Madison Ave. to drink tea and read Dante in Italian once a week; it was one of my best graduate school experiences. Dante was clearly a family project, as I remember that Jonathan compiled a directory to all the popes that appear in the Commedia.

My Dear Granpa, I will miss you so much. You were a unique, funny, warm, intelligent, and very special person to me. Only great memories from as far as I can remember.

So terribly sad to read this news. My sympathies to the family. My father and Allen Mandelbaum went to Yeshiva together. I remember him as a man of great intelligence, erudition, style, wit and kindness. A great loss.

It was an honor to work with Allen and get to know him. He was a special man who will always hold a place in my heart.

It was a true honor for me to be able to work with and get to know Allen. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

What a magnificent life. May his memory be a blessing.

I just received the sad news of Allen's death. He was my teacher in so many ways. I took three courses with him and audited more. He chaired my orals committee. His elegance and erudition were part of his pedagogy. I shall remember him fondly and well.

Chris (Rabin) Knight
Manhattan

I just now found out that Alan has passed and I am heartbroken. I learned a great deal from this intellectual titan, especially over the years we worked on The Comedy together. I owe him for his belief in me, and I will miss him very much.

Professor Mandelbaum left an indelible legacy and our thoughts are with his family and close friends at this time.