Rabbi Twerski Stepping Down As Dean Of Hofstra Law School

This is sad:

The dean of Hofstra University's law school has announced he plans to resign July 31 for health reasons, an unexpected development that means the university must conduct another search for a dean after having just ended one two years ago.

"It is with intense sadness that I inform you of my intention to resign as dean on July 31, 2007," Aaron D. Twerski wrote in a Feb. 1 e-mail to colleagues.

Twerski, 67, cited his quadruple-bypass surgery two weeks ago and his cardiologist's insistence that the dean's commute from his Brooklyn home to the Hempstead campus and his work responsibilities "are not in my best interest."

"I cannot tell you how painful this decision is for me," Twerski wrote.

"The past two years have been an exciting challenge," he added, praising the support from his colleagues as well as that from university President Stuart Rabinowitz and Provost Herman Berliner, "who have provided resources and moral support at every step along the way."

Twerski, who was a professor in Hofstra's law school from 1972 to 1986 and later taught at Brooklyn Law School, returned to Hofstra in 2005 as dean after the university held a two-year search, Berliner said.

Twerski's selection drew attention because he was said to be the first Hasidic Jew to lead an American law school. That designation aside, he was considered a legal scholar and authority on product liability law who authored more than 70 articles and two case law books.

"His stepping down as dean is a tremendous loss to us," Berliner said. "The best way to describe him is he's an exemplary dean and an inspirational figure."

I wish Rabbi Twerski a Refuah Sheleima.