Prof. Avi Sagi, a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and professor of philosophy at Bar-Ilan University, passed away at the age of 72. His funeral will be held today (Friday) at 1:30 p.m. at Yarkon Cemetery.

Born in Bat Yam, Sagi was a member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement in his youth and served in the Nahal Paratroopers. He completed his undergraduate and master's degrees with highest honors at Bar-Ilan University, where he later earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1987 with a dissertation titled "Kierkegaard: Religion and Existentialism."

Over the course of his academic career, Sagi held numerous positions at Bar-Ilan University before being appointed a full professor in 1997. Since 1986, he also served as a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, where he founded and headed the Program for Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies. In addition, he served on the steering committee responsible for formulating the IDF's Code of Ethics.

Prof. Sagi authored and edited more than 40 books and hundreds of scholarly articles on philosophy, Jewish thought, Jewish law, literary studies, and cultural criticism. In 2022, he was awarded the Bialik Prize for his contributions to literature and Jewish scholarship.

The Shalom Hartman Institute paid tribute to Sagi, saying: "With deep sorrow and shock, the Hartman Institute mourns the untimely passing of our teacher and colleague, Prof. Avi Sagi. Avi was one of the pillars of the Hartman Institute-a brilliant and prolific philosopher, a man of values and morality, wise and prophetic, a man of the people and a moral voice of conscience, who supported, encouraged, and helped others. The grieving members of the Hartman Institute community extend their heartfelt condolences to his family."

Senior research fellow Tomer Persico also paid tribute, describing Sagi as "profound, incisive, fearless, and possessed of rare public courage." He noted that Sagi's scholarship focused on modern Jewish identity, the relationship between religion and morality, and humanity's responsibility toward its moral and spiritual world. According to Persico, Sagi viewed Jewish tradition as "a living conversation" and never separated his academic work from his public and educational commitments.