Prof Ernst Akiva Simon (1889–1988) was a German-born Israeli philosopher, educator, and religious thinker. He co-founded Brit Shalom for Jewish-Arab understanding and was a key figure in the Leo Baeck Institute, influencing Jewish education and interfaith dialogue.
Simon was born in Berlin in 1889, served in the German army during World War I, and received his doctorate from Heidelberg University in 1923. He migrated to Palestine in 1928, joined the education department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1938, and in 1967 received the Israel Prize in education. Besides his academic and intellectual activity in the fields of Jewish philosophy, humanistic Judaism, and education, Simon was a leading figure in several political groups that strived for Jewish-Arab understanding and peace, such as Brit Shalom and Ihud. Simon passed away in 1988.
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