Jewish Geography
“It was pretty clearly— not offi- cially, but very clearly— meant for an Anglican professor of the Old Testament.” In his new role, Koller wants to promote the study of Hebrew texts over the thousands of years between the Hebrew Bible and the modern state of Israel, draw- ing on Cambridge’s rich trove of manuscripts that includes the Cairo Geniza, the vast collection of medieval manuscripts that was discovered in Egypt in the late nineteenth century. Koller hopes that introducing students to these writings will open them up to new ways of studying cul- tural and intellectual history across the world. Despite being the first Jewish Regius professor, Koller said he is wary of narrowing the depart- ment around “Jewish studies for the Jews.” In North America, Jewish studies departments tend to attract Jewish students look- ing to connect with their identity and heritage. That fills a valuable need, said Koller, but he wants to build out Hebrew studies as a home for any student with a humanistic interest in Hebrew, addressing the same historical and philosophical questions that draw people to studying ancient Greek or Latin. “No one thinks that Greek studies would only be for Greeks,” Koller points out. “Greek studies spend a lot of time trying to ex- plain to the world that this is of universal significance. It’s not for every single person, but it’s for any given person; [they] will find something interesting here. And I very much want to do the same for Hebrew studies in Cambridge.” JTA
EDUCATION HENRY VIII CREATED THE ROLE — AND FINALLY, A JEW WILL HELM HEBREW STUDIES AT CAMBRIDGE by SHIRA LI BARTOV
Aaron Koller , shown here visiting Cam- bridge during the 2022/23 academic year, believes that Hebrew studies should be of interest to Jews and non-Jews alike.
SINCE 1540, a prestigious chain of scholars has held the title of the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge. But not one of these scholars of Hebrew and Semitic studies has been Jewish. That will be changing soon: this fall, Aaron Koller will become the first Jew to join the university’s department of Middle Eastern studies as the Regius Professor of Hebrew, a role established by King Henry VIII. He is moving from New York City, where he has taught at Yeshiva University, specializing in Hebrew from biblical to medieval texts, since earning his doctorate there in 2009. According to Koller, it’s no surprise that Jews never made the cut before. Henry VIII, who founded the Church of England along with the professorship, intended it for Anglican churchmen to teach He- brew in the Anglican tradition. That idea persisted until recently. “Fifty years ago, it wouldn’t have struck anyone as odd that no Jewish person had held the position,” Koller said in an interview.
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