YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Historically, Revel has always offered advanced Jewish Studies scholarship to students with strong proficiency in Hebrew and classical Jewish texts through master’s and doctoral programs. Prior to 2020, annual enrollment typically ranged from approximately 55 to 65 degree students. The enforced transition to Zoom during the COVID pandemic allowed us to recruit students nationally and internationally for the first time, and the nature of our classes meant that online participation had minimal effects on the quality of instruction. As a result, we have continued to offer classes remotely, while also restructuring our MA program to create pathways for students without extensive Jewish Studies backgrounds, and introducing new programs including our Advanced Certificate and our Hebraic Studies Program for Christian students. All of this means that while humanities departments in universities are
shrinking around the world, Revel, in contrast, has been through a period of sustained growth, leading to record enrollment of 158 degree students in Fall 2025. In addition, both as a result of this growth and the support of new donors, Revel is also on a firmer financial footing than at any time in its history. The reason for highlighting all of this is that it played a significant role in our having made three new tenure-track faculty appointments in academic Jewish Studies, the first such appointments to have been made at Yeshiva University in almost 20 years. I am delighted to announce, therefore, that in Fall 2026, together with the undergraduate units, Revel will be welcoming to the faculty Dr Shira Weiss as Assistant Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Dr David Sclar as Assistant Professor of Jewish History, and Dr Zvi Stampfer as the new Dr. Dov and Nancy Friedberg Chair in Geonic and Geniza Studies. These exciting new appointments take their place alongside the initiatives noted above, and the conferences and events that present our scholarship to the wider public. All of these serve to further strengthen Revel’s historic leadership in advanced Jewish Studies, while also extending Yeshiva University’s educational mission to new domestic and international audiences. It is an honor to serve as Dean of the school, and as we look forward to another exciting year ahead, I hope you enjoy reading about some highlights from the academic year we have just completed. With all best wishes,
Daniel Rynhold, PhD Dr. Mordecai D. Katz Dean
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