Judah Benzion "Ben" Segal, FBA (21 June 1912 – 23 October 2003, Edgware, Middlesex) was Professor of Semitic Languages at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
His father was Professor Moshe Zvi Segal and his brother was the doctor and Labour Party politician Samuel Segal. He had two daughters; one is Prof. Naomi Segal.

Education 
Magdalen College School, Oxford
St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. Jarrett Scholar, 1932; John Stewart of Rannoch Scholar in Hebrew, 1933; 1st Class Oriental Langs Tripos, 1935; Tyrwhitt Scholar and Mason Prizeman, 1936. BA (Cambridge), 1935, MA 1938; DPhil (Oxford) 1939.
Colours, Cambridge University Boxing Club, 1935, 1936.

Career 
Mansel Research Exhibitioner, St. John's College, Oxford, 1936–39; James Mew Scholar, 1937.
Deputy Assistant Director, Public Security, Sudan Government, 1939–41
Served in World War II, GHQ, MEF, 1942–44, Captain; Education Officer, British Military Administration, Tripolitania, 1945-46. He was awarded a Military Cross in 1942.
School of Oriental and African Studies from 1946; Head of Department of Near and Middle East, 1961–68; Professor 1961-79, then Emeritus Professor; Honorary Fellow 1983.
Visiting Lecturer, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 1979
Research Fellow, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1980
Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship, South India, 1981

Involvement in Jewish community 
Principal, Leo Baeck College, 1982–85; President, 1985-2003
Member, Council of Christians and Jews
President: North Western Reform Synagogue
President: British Association for Jewish Studies, 1980
Vice-President, Reform Synagogues of Great Britain, 1985–91

Honours 
Fellow of the British Academy, 1968
Freedom, City of Urfa, Turkey, 1973

Publications 
The Diacritical Point and the Accents in Syriac, 1953
The Hebrew Passover, 1963
The Sabian Mysteries. The planet cult of ancient Harran, Vanished Civilizations, 1963
Edessa, 'the blessed city', 1970
Aramaic Texts From North Saqqara, 1983
A History of the Jews of Cochin, 1993
Aramaic and Mandaic Incantation Bowls in the British Museum, 2000
Whisper Awhile, 2000
Articles in learned periodicals.
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