Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Year In Review
Revel Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
Year in Review 2024–2025
YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Last year, I began writing this letter in the shadow of October 7th. I did not expect to be writing a letter eighteen months later still awaiting the return of hostages and with continued concern for their welfare and that of our IDF troops. We continue to pray for Israel’s safety and security, and I sincerely hope not to be beginning next year’s letter in this manner. For Revel itself, the news thankfully remains positive. I reported here last year that we had partnered with the Philos Project in the creation of a Hebraic Studies program designed for Christian students, and the first six students from that program graduated this year with an MA in Jewish Studies. We have since welcomed a new cohort of eight students and hope to begin with a third cohort in Fall 2025. We will also see the first three of our South Korean students officially graduating this summer with the new Revel Graduate Certificate in Jewish Studies.
As a result of all of this, Revel continues to grow, with record numbers now in our degree programs.* SCHOOL 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
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BERNARD REVEL
*The total number of students taking Revel courses, including auditors and undergraduate students, brings the number up to over 170 students.
Revel of course continues to hold public facing events, and our faculty continue to produce the very best in Jewish Studies scholarship, with highlights contained in this booklet as you will see. The international standing of our faculty can occasionally be a double-edged sword, however, and it is both with great pride and also some sadness that I report that we will be losing Professor Aaron Koller from our faculty at the end of the 2024–25 academic year. Aaron has been appointed to the extremely prestigious position of REGIUS PROFESSOR OF HEBREW at Cambridge University, an honor that reflects Aaron’s exceptional reputation in his field. Both his colleagues and countless students have benefitted immeasurably from his 16 years with us, and we will all miss him both personally and professionally. We wish him all the very best in his new life, and I look forward to publishing pictures in our 2025 “Year in Review” of Aaron happily punting down the Cam. I will end, as I always do, with recognition of those of you who are reading this. Whether colleagues, students, alumni, or friends and supporters, none of the things that we celebrate in our Year in Review would be possible without your support, whether moral or material. We are always happy to hear from you with feedback and ideas, so feel free to be in touch with us and to get involved.
With all best wishes,
Daniel Rynhold, PhD Dr. Mordecai D. Katz Dean
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
The handoff took place on a bright summer day, as if to mark an auspicious beginning. Jonathan Dauber, my predecessor, joined me on my deck in Teaneck, NJ to review all the files and to share everything I needed to know as I assumed the position of director of the PhD program. As I did then, I thank him again here for setting our students up for success. It is my hope that, under my leadership, the program continues to produce first-rate scholars who will impact all fields of Jewish Studies. Just as my term of service began and Jonathan’s ended, we congrat- ulated our newest graduate, Dr. Ephraim Soloveichik, who defended his doctoral dissertation, “Autonomy of the Authors of Scripture in the Thought of Don Isaac Abarbanel.” With the start of fall, we welcomed our five newest
doctoral students who began their coursework. They include Joshua Johnson, a former member of our first Philos cohort. These new students and I set out on our new journeys together, in the first session of the team-taught doctoral seminar on methods in Jewish Studies. Our PhD lunch series with visiting scholars continued to enhance our students’ regular classes. This year, we hosted presentations by Professor Miriam Goldstein (Hebrew University), Professor Yair Lorberbaum (Bar-Ilan University), and Dr. Aaron Adler (Herzog College). We are especially proud that Professor Yael Landman (JTS), who earned her doctorate from our program in 2017, returned to give a lecture and show our students what their future may bring. We proudly celebrate our students’ accomplishments and contributions as emergent scholars who are already making their mark. Joshua Dachman’s article, “The Non-Triliteral Theory of Verbal Morphology of the Karaite Joseph ibn Nuh” appeared in Journal of Semitic Studies , a top-tier, peer reviewed journal. Noam Kornsgold presented a lecture on “Friday Weddings in Jewish Medieval Europe” at the Ancient Judaism Regional Seminar, co-sponsored by Columbia and Princeton Universities. To demonstrate that our students are, indeed, of world-class caliber, we could do no better than to note that Mendel Breitstein visited Palacký University in Czechia to present his research on “Nail Clippings: A Cross-Cultural and Talmudic Consideration.” It is a privilege to direct the PhD program, where I watch the future of Jewish Studies emerge in real time. It is a bright future, indeed.
With best wishes,
Shalom E. Holtz Professor of Bible Director of the PhD Program
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
As we reflect on the past year, we are pleased to share exciting updates about our Hebraic Studies initiative at the Bernard Revel Graduate School. This year marked the launch of the second cohort of our highly successful Hebraic Studies Program, a unique collaboration between BRGS and the Philos Project. This carefully curated MA program in Jewish Studies con- tinues to attract students interested in exploring the historical relationship between Judaism and Christianity. We are also delighted to announce that our “Advanced Certificate Program for Korean-Speaking Students” has been renamed “Hebraica Veritas: Korean-Jewish Fellowship Program.” With the capable assistance of Dr. Jeong Mun Heo, this program offers a four-course certificate in Jewish Studies, providing invaluable insights into Jewish thought, culture, and history for Korean-speaking students.
In addition to our academic programs, the Hebraica Veritas Program hosted noteworthy events that enriched our community. The Havruta Vision Forum trip from Korea was a significant highlight, featuring a visit to Yeshiva University and fostering engagement with members of the BRGS community. Another milestone was the gathering of BRGS students with members and friends of the Reformed Seminary in Queens, NY. This event, part of the Hebraica Veritas Program, featured distinguished speakers, including Yeshiva University President Ari Berman, Dr. Sung Kuh Chung, Past President of Chongsin University, and Dr. Yong Ik Kim, President, Reformed Seminary. WATCH VIDEO OF TRIP. We are grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of our faculty, students, and partners in making this year a resounding success. We look forward to continuing our mission of fostering meaningful academic engagement with students from varied backgrounds in the years ahead.
Jonathan V. Dauber, PhD Associate Professor of Jewish Studies Director of External Programming
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Events
NOV. 13, 2024 Cancel Culture of Victorian Prudence, or: Why You’ve Never Heard of England’s Outstanding Jewish Bible Scholar Presented by Prof. Edward Breuer (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
FEB. 18, 2024
Marty Glickman: The Life of an American Jewish Sports Legend. Book Talk Presented by Revel Prof. Jeffery Gurock WATCH HERE (for a later talk on the same book)
DEC. 5, 2024
MARCH 31, 2024
Moses Mendelssohn Returns to Jerusalem A Symposium marking the Prof. Shmuel Feiner’s new Hebrew translation of Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem
WATCH HERE
MAY 19, 2024
Sephardic Clandestine Writing of the Early Enlightenment Presented by Prof. Carsten Wilke (Central European University)
FEB. 20, 2025 Herman Prins Salomon (1930–2021) and His Portugese Love Story Presented by Prof. Claude (Dov) Stuczynski (Bar Ilan University)
Revel Year End Reception with keynote address ללמוד וללמד : Scholarship and Pedagogy Presented by Prof. Moshe Sokolow, Revel class of 1974
MAY 18, 2025
SEPT. 23, 2024
Emet L’ Yaakov: Facing the Truths of History: Essays in Honor
of Jacob J. Schacter Presented by Zev Eleff, Shaul Seidler-Feller, and Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter
WATCH HERE
Revel Year End Reception
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Publications
Fine, S. (2023). Why was Titus killed by a gnat? Reflections on a rabbinic legend. In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler- Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 544-568). Academic Studies Press. NAOMI GRUNHAUS Grunhaus, N. (2023). Rationalizing Kerei u-Ketiv: Methodology in his biblical commentaries. In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler-Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 90-100). Academic Studies Press. JEFFREY GUROCK Gurock, J. S. (2023). A tradition of acceptance: Jews and their basketball players at an Irish Catholic college. In H. Diner & M. N. Grey (Eds.), Forged in America: How Irish-Jewish encounters shaped a nation (pp. 184-201). New York University Press. Gurock, J. S. (2023). New York Jewish history and memory: Opportunities and challenges. In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler-Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 384-400). Academic Studies Press. Gurock, J. S. (2023). Parkchester: A suburb in a city and the challenge to ethnicity, 1940-circa 1970. In J. Karp (Ed.), Beyond whiteness: Revisiting Jews in ethnic America (pp. 59-80). Purdue University Press. Gurock, J. S. (2024). Aspirations and strategies of Jewish students in a Brooklyn high school, 1935. The American Jewish Archives Journal , 76(1–2), 149–167. READ HERE Gurock, J. S. (2024). Jewish athletes and the challenges of American sports. History Now , (71). Gurock, J. S. (2024, May 14). The oldest living day school alumna, Flatbush Yeshivah, 1936. Times of Israel: The Blogs. READ HERE
DAVID BERGER
Berger, D. (2023). Maimonides’s Mishneh Torah on the messianic age: Reactions and controversies through the ages. In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler-Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 25-47). Academic Studies Press.
Berger, D. (2023). Orthodox Judaism and Jewish-Christian dialogue [Review of the book Jacob’s younger brother: Christian-Jewish relations after Vatican II, by K. Ben-Johanan]. Tradition , 55(3), 169-185. STEVEN FINE Fine, S. (2023). Rabbi Akiva in 3D: Artifact, text, and the recent history of Judaism in late antiquity. In C. S. Ehrlich & S. R. Horowitz, Jewish studies on Premodern periods: A handbook (pp. 183-198). De Gruyter. READ HERE Fine, S. (Curator) (2023). Respect! The Samaritans in the Bible and today. Bibelhaus Erlebnis Museum, Frankfurt (March 1, 2023-July 30, 2023). READ HERE
Fine, S. (Curator) (2023). The Samaritans: A biblical people. Museum of the Bible, Washington, D.C. (September 16, 2022–April 16, 2023). READ HERE
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
JEONG MUN HEO
Kanarfogel, E., & Kogman-Appel, K. (2024). A Hebrew fragment in the Municipal Archive of Münster as a witness to a little-known ritual practice. Jewish History , 37(1-2), 14-30. READ HERE Kanarfogel, E. (2024). ‘Ateret zekenim: Iyyun mehudash be-toldotehem shel hakhamim / The crown of the elders: A new look at the history of the sages [Review of the book ‘Ateret zekenim: Iyyun mehudash be-toldotehem shel hakhamim / The crown of the elders: A new look at the history of the sages, by S. Emanuel]. Speculum , 99(3), 892-894. READ HERE Kanarfogel, E. (2024). How do the Rishonim read the Talmud and the Geonim? In Z. Eleff, R. R. Kwall, & C. Saiman (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Jewish law (Chapter 4 [unpaginated]). Oxford University Press. READ HERE AARON KOLLER Koller, A. (2023). The Akedah in a different voice. In V. D. Beiler & A. D. Rubin (Eds.), Linguistic and philological studies of the Hebrew Bible and its manuscripts: In honor of Gary A. Rendsburg (pp. 196-213). Brill. READ HERE Koller, A. (2023). The prayer of Nabonidus and lost books: Reconstructing the Aramaic library of the Persian period. In S. M. Coleman, A. D. Gross, & A. W. Litke (Eds.), Mallephana Rabba: Aramaic studies in honor of Edward M. Cook (pp. 161-177). Gorgias. Koller, A. (2023). Reptiles, insects, and other creepy crawly things: Folk categories and the ancient Hebrew Lexeme ץרש . In M. I. Gruber, J. Yogev, D. Sivan, L. T. Stuckenbruck, & E. Assis (Eds.), The Shamir, the letters, the writing, and the tablets (Mishnah Avot 5:6): Studies in honor of Professor Shamir Yona (pp. 181-187). Ostracon. Koller, A. (2024). The evolving definition of ‘word’ in early Northwest Semitic writing: From דברים to תיבות . Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 83(1), 123-156. READ HERE Koller, A. (2025). “A miserable remnant though this be, it is not without value”: A fragment of Mishnah Avodah Zarah in the Babylonian Tradition from a book binding in the Cambridge University Library. Oqimta , 11, 145-159. Retrieved February 4, 2025, from READ HERE Koller, A. (2025). Three polemical Qur’anic citations of the Mishnah and their historical significance. Jewish Studies Quarterly , 32, 1-18.
Heo, J. M. (2023). Images of Torah: From the Second-Temple period to the Middle Ages . Brill.
SHALOM HOLTZ Holtz, S. E. (2023). Foreign but fair: Legal disputes of Judeans in the Achaemenid Era. Orientalia , 92(2), 185–201. READ HERE Holtz, S. E. (2024). Law and Prayer. In B. Wells (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to law in the Hebrew Bible (pp. 201–218). Cambridge University Press. Holtz, S. E. (2024). The problems of land possession and the meaning of Isaiah 60:21. Journal of Biblical Literature , 143(2), 267–279. READ HERE Holtz, S. E. (2024). The sister-wives. In D. Arnovitz (Ed.), The Koren Tanakh of the land of Israel: Genesis (p. 82). Koren Publishers. Holtz, S. E. (2024). YHWH’s covenant: Why Moses calls
heaven and earth as witnesses. TheTorah.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from READ HERE
EPHRAIM KANARFOGEL Kanarfogel, E. (2023). Rabbinic creativity in Northern France and Germany during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In S. A. Goldberg (Ed.), Histoire juivre de la France (pp. 104-118). Albin-Michel. Kanarfogel, E. (2023). Tosafist collections in the writings of Hayyim Joseph David Azulai (Hida). In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler-Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 144-162). Academic Studies Press. Kanarfogel, E. (2023). On the citation of Maimonides in Mediaeval Ashkenaz. In D. Sclar (Ed.), The golden path: Maimonides through eight centuries (pp. 133-139). Liverpool University Press. Kanarfogel, E. (2023). Avenging episodes of persecution: A note on the text and origin of Av ha-Rahamim. In A. Hacohen & M. Butler (Eds.), Praying for defenders of our destiny: The Mi Sheberach for IDF soldiers (pp. 370-385). The Institute for Jewish Research and Publications.
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SID (SCHNAYER) LEIMAN Leiman, S. (2023). Rabbi Jacob Joshua Falk’s final salvo in the Emden-Eibeschuetz controversy: Harvot Zurim. In Z. Eleff & S. Seidler-Feller (Eds.), Emet le-Ya’akov: Facing the truths of history: Essays in honor of Jacob J. Schacter (pp. 185-205). Academic Studies Press.
DANIEL RYNHOLD
Rynhold, D. (2023) Approaching God Aesthetically in Modern Jewish Thought. Modern Theology 39 (2), 272-93
Rynhold, D., & Goldschmidt, T. (2025). The Routledge Companion to Jewish Philosophy. Routledge .
SEE BOOK
Professors Shalom Holtz and Jonathan Dauber
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Of Note
A recording of Prof. Michael Schmidman ’s lecture from Revel’s conference commemorating Prof. Yitzchak Twersky was released by Tradition as a podcast. LISTEN HERE
Revel Profs. Steven Fine and Ronnie Perelis and Revel doctoral student Baruch-Lev Kelman participated in a fascinating YU archaeology summer trip which included Rome and Jerusalem. READ MORE Revel Prof. Elazar Hurvitz spoke about Rambam and Other Treasures, a talk about his Catalogue of the Cairo Genizah Fragments in the Westminster College Librar y.
Revel Ph.D. Rabbi Dr. Yosie Levine published a book, Hakham Tsevi Ashke- nazi and the Battlegrounds of the Early Modern Rabbinate which won an AJS Jordan Schnitzer First Book Publication award. SEE BOOK
Revel Prof. Jeffery Gurock interviewed Revel Board Member Leonard Grunstein about the book he co-authored, Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Back-Story of the US Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem WATCH HERE
Prof. Ronnie Perelis was awarded a major grant from the National Endowment of Humanities along with his colleague Flora Cassen (Washington University, St. Louis) to translate the spiritual diary of Luis de Carvajal.
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YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Profiles
Dovid Siderson I’m originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I live on the Upper West Side. I’m currently studying philosophy and Biblical studies at Revel. I’m passionate about both, so I’m not sure which I’ll focus on, but I would like to pursue Jewish studies through the doctoral
Charmaine Carter I came to Yeshiva seeking a deeper understanding of the Hebrew Bible, and my studies have exceeded my expectations, significantly broadening my appreciation for Jewish peoplehood. The unique opportunity to learn alongside Jewish students, witnessing their personal connection
program at Revel, in one of those two areas. I’ve found the breadth and depth of my studies here at Revel incredibly stimulating and refreshing, and feel very strongly that my career path in Rabbinical and academic work will be excellently complemented by one another.
to their history and cultural heritage, has been profoundly meaningful. As a Bible Study instructor, I am now better prepared to guide fellow Christians towards a greater love for our common Judeo-Christian roots.
Congratulations to our new PhDs
Sara Finkelstein I grew up in Bergen- field, NJ. I attended Stern College for undergraduate, double-majoring in history and Judaic Studies. I then studied at GPATS for three years, receiving my Masters, while simultaneously pursuing a Masters in Medieval Jewish History from Revel. I am so privileged that I have
Ephraim Soloveichik Autonomy of the Authors of Scripture in the Thought of Don Isaac Abarbanel
the opportunity to continue my studies at Revel as a PhD student. My professors at Revel combine academic rigor with a delight and reverence for Jewish tradition. I am studying modern Jewish history under the guidance of Dr. Joshua Karlip and I hope to focus on the life and works of Eastern European rabbinic figures.
Heather Rossi I live in Deerfield, IL just outside of Chicago. As a wife, mother, community leader and finance executive, I am grateful for Revel’s high-quality remote learning, which allows me to engage deeply in Jewish history and thought while balancing my personal and professional life. Learning from
accomplished professors like Dean Rynhold has reignited my joy of Jewish learning, providing the rigorous and inspiring education I couldn’t find elsewhere.
YEAR IN REVIEW | BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES | SCHOLARSHIP • TORAH • WISDOM • THOUGHT
Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Furst Hall, 500 West 185th Street New York, NY 10033
yu.edu/revel 646.592.4270
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