Sussmann was born in
Budapest,
Hungary. His parents were descendants of prominent
rabbinical families, and his paternal grandfather served as the
Chief Rabbi of Budapest. On his mother's side, he is a fifth-generation descendant of the
Chatam Sofer. Following the
Nazi occupation of Hungary, he and his family escaped on the
Kastner train, traveling via
Bergen-Belsen to
Switzerland, where he continued his studies in
yeshivas. In 1949, he immigrated to
Israel and studied at
Hebron Yeshiva. A few years after arriving in Israel, Sussmann pursued a career in academia. After obtaining his
high school diploma in 1954, he enrolled at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied
Talmud and
Bible. Later, he began lecturing on Talmud and
Jewish history. After completing his undergraduate and master's degrees with distinction, he earned his
PhD in 1970 (under the supervision of
Ephraim Urbach) with a dissertation titled "Babylonian Sugiyot to the Orders
Zeraim and
Tohorot". In 1975, he was appointed as an
Associate Professor, and in 1980, he became a
Full Professor. Over the years, he served as the head of the Department of Talmud and the director of the Institute of
Jewish Studies. In 1997, he was awarded the Israel Prize for his significant contribution to Talmudic studies. He resides in the
Ramat Denya neighborhood of
Jerusalem. == Awards and recognition ==