Anne Golomb Hoffman, professor of English and modern Hebrew literature Emerita at Fordham passed away suddenly from a heart attack at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, New York, on Nov. 4. She was 78 years old.
Hoffman received recognition for her outstanding guidance and teaching, and for Fordham’s Outstanding Teaching in the Humanities Award in 2003. In 2019, she was recognized for her 40 years of service to the institution.
Hoffman was born on June 19, 1946 in New York City and raised in Brooklyn. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and comparative literature from Cornell University, followed by a master’s and Ph.D. in the same field from Columbia University. She started teaching at Fordham in 1979, 11 years after Fordham Lincoln Center opened.
Hoffman wrote several research papers and essays that addressed identity, trauma, memory and reconciliation during her long and distinguished career. Her written works also include “Between Exile and Return: S.Y. Agnon and the Drama of Writing,” as well extensive contributions to edited volumes and journals, which remain foundational texts in their respective fields.
“She always made them feel like they had this intelligence, and that they had what they needed to go forward. I think that’s an incredibly beautiful skill.” Andrew Clark, professor of French and comparative literature
As well as being a professor, Hoffman was a special member of the Association for Psychoanalytic Medicine of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Hoffman wrote extensively on gender and psychology, and translated a large breadth of literary works from Hebrew to English. She frequently taught classes on Israeli literature and film as part of the program in Middle East studies at Fordham.
She was instrumental in establishing the annual Nostra Aetate Dialogue series in 1992, fostering Jewish-Catholic dialogue and acceptance. Hoffman was also a co-founder of Fordham’s Jewish Texts Reading Group in 2002, which continues to thrive.
“It was an exciting time at Fordham Lincoln Center, with an intergenerational student body and interdisciplinary divisions,” Hoffman said in an interview with the Center for Jewish Studies at Fordham last year.
Hoffman mentored dozens of members of the Fordham community in her time as a professor. One such mentee was Andrew Clark, professor of French and comparative literature, who remembered Hoffman’s lucid conception of her own work.
“Anne’s passion for justice and education inspired countless individuals, and her influence shaped the lives of many students, including myself.” Fiona Shehu, FCLC ’25
“We had lunch about a week before she died,” Clark said. “She said ‘I’ll always be teaching no matter what I am doing,’ and ‘I work with words.’”
Clark reflected on Dr. Hoffman’s unique ability to connect with her students.
“She always made them feel like they had this intelligence, and that they had what they needed to go forward,” Clark said. “I think that’s an incredibly beautiful skill.”
United Student Government at Lincoln Center President Fiona Shehu, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, was a student of Hoffman’s. Shehu wrote that Hoffman’s legacy is that of influence and passion.
“Anne’s passion for justice and education inspired countless individuals, and her influence shaped the lives of many students, including myself,” Shehu wrote. “Her unwavering belief in the power of knowledge and her deep understanding of the systems that shape our world opened my eyes to the importance of justice and how it affects our communities.”
Isabella Naluz Alejandro, FCLC ’25, was also a student of Hoffman’s. She reflected fondly on how Hoffman integrated social justice into the classroom and encouraged students to think critically about the sociopolitical climate they are in.
“I find especially in academia it’s very easy to separate your ‘work’/’studies’ from any ‘social issues’ you’re passionate about, to the point of borderline performativity, but for Prof Hoffman you always felt that they were one and the same thing if u get what I mean. Even after retiring, I heard she went to continue on her work at Rikers … She will definitely be missed,” Alejandro wrote.
Hoffman also had an enduring love for drawing and painting from early childhood.
“In contrast to my work on (and in) language, it’s precisely the non-verbal dimensions of drawing and painting that engage me so deeply. Quite simply, they allow for absorption in the domain of the visual,” Hoffman said in an interview with Fordham English.
Her artwork was showcased at Fordham’s Butler Gallery in Nov. 2023, reflecting her belief in the synergy between artistic expression and intellectual inquiry.
A funeral service was held at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel in Manhattan on Nov. 4. A memorial service open to the university community will be announced at a later date.
Hoffman is survived by her husband of 57 years, Leon Hoffman; her daughters, Miriam Hoffman and Liora Hoffman, and their spouses Dr. Steven Kleiner, M.D. and Rob Yalen; her brother, David Golomb; her niece, Danielle Golomb; her nephew, Jesse Golomb; and her grandchildren, Shoshana, Elisheva, and Hillel Hoffman Kleiner, and Greta and Max Yalen.
Miriam Frischer • Dec 2, 2024 at 12:33 am
Ann was the daughter of my mother’s friend, Rita. Their mothers met at maternity ward in Vienna in 1919. My mom was two weeks older than Rita;
Rita Golom was still alive when my mom died at 103. My mother thought that Ann Hoffman was the cars meow. I am sorry to hear of her passing and hope that her mother did not have to go through that loss.
Jesse • Nov 29, 2024 at 2:55 am
Damn, this is sad