This fall, the Center welcomes five new faculty members and visiting scholars in Jewish studies.
Adam Cohn joins the department of romance studies as assistant professor and JMA van der Horst Fellow in Jewish Studies. He specializes in modern Spanish literature, with a focus on race, diaspora, and Judaism in early 20th century Spain. This fall he will teach a First Year Seminar titled Jewish Spain: History and Culture Across the Hispanic World.
Jennifer Grayson joins the department of history as assistant professor and Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat Fellow in Jewish Studies. Her research deals with Jewish communities in the medieval Middle East and she works with documents from the Cairo Geniza, a treasure-trove of medieval manuscripts from a synagogue in Cairo.
Three other scholars will further contribute to our curriculum this year. Emily Katz has been appointed as a part-time faculty member in the department of American studies and will offer a variety of Jewish studies courses, especially on Jewish-American writers. Jackie Feldman, a professor at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, is a visiting professor in the fall semester, sponsored by the Israel Institute, to teach a course on tourism in the Holy Land, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holy sites, offered through the department of anthropology. And finally, Brett Ashley Kaplan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is this year’s Keohane Visiting Professor. (See story on back cover.)
These new faculty members and visiting scholars will allow the College to expand course offerings in Jewish studies and they will be active members with the Center and will work with affiliated faculty, grad students and undergraduates.