YU Center for Israel Studies Partners with MET on Middle East Exhibition On May 6, a group of students, alumni and members of the Yeshiva University community huddled around an ancient book. On its pages, in blue, red and yellow, were the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, carefully traced and shaded in by a child’s hand in the timeless tradition of children learning to read and write. The primer, found in the Cairo Genizah, was at least 900 years old. The artifact was one of many the group viewed in a behind-the-scenes tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition (600-900).” This is the first major exhibition to explore the religious and cultural change in the Middle East as it transitioned from being the wealthy southern provinces of the Roman/Byzantine Empire into the emerging Islamic world. For its presentation of Judaism—its history, art and literature within that context—the MET turned to an expert in Greco-Roman and Late Antiquity cultural Jewish history: Dr. Steven Fine, professor of Jewish History and director of the Center for Israel Studies (CIS) at YU. “Understanding the roles of Jews and Judaism in this time period is integral to understanding this moment of cultural change, and vice versa,” said Fine. “Though Jews were a minority even then, they were [and are] a minority through which one can understand other cultures in interesting ways.” [caption id="attachment_10511" align="alignright" width="386" caption="On May 9 the Center for Israel Studies led University faculty and staff on a private tour of the exhibition."][/caption] Assisted by CIS coordinator and MET intern, Yitzchak Schwartz ’11YC, a student at YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Fine has been deeply involved in the exhibition from its conception, writing a major catalog entry, “Jews and Judaism between Byzantium and Islam,” and playing an instrumental role in the choice and interpretation of artifacts that illustrate the Jewish experience at the crossroads of late Roman and Islamic cultures. Over 300 masterpieces of Christian, Islamic and Jewish art are displayed in the exhibition. During one of two special tours for members of the YU community, Fine and Schwartz spoke about their work collecting and studying the artifacts and provided intriguing contextual information about pieces such as the alphabet primer throughout the exhibition. Fine encouraged visitors to get as close as possible to the ancient works. “This exhibition is especially great for Jewish studies because it shows how Jews lived through the ages in a tactile way,” he said. Pointing to a bronze plate with scalloped edges that dates back to the middle of the first millennium, Fine said, “I taught that on a slide last week, but there is nothing better than coming here and studying the objects the ancient Rabbis were talking about and seeing them right in front of you, viscerally. To understand the world of our ancestors, you must understand where they lived and who they lived with.” [caption id="attachment_10514" align="alignleft" width="389" caption="Fine and Schwartz had been involved in the MET exhibition from its conception, writing a major catalog entry and playing an instrumental role in the choice and interpretation of artifacts."][/caption] For Schwartz, the opportunity to collaborate on this exhibition with curator Helen Evans and top academics in a multitude of fields has been one-of-a-kind. It has also given him the credentials to contribute research to other notable exhibitions, such as Fine’s forthcoming Museum of Biblical Art exhibition, “The Samaritans: A Biblical People,” which is rare for a new graduate. “I’ve always been fascinated by Jewish art and history, especially the art of the synagogue, and YU gave me the tools to explore these subjects I am so passionate about in a serious and informed way,” said Schwartz. “Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies at YU, Dr. Fine has been a very proactive and caring mentor and has opened doors for me in academia and museum work that have been transformative to my research and career.” Abby Schoenfeld Zimmerman ’09SC, who attended the tour with her family, was fascinated by the exhibition’s framing of three distinct but overlapping communities. “It’s interesting to view Jewish history in context,” she said. “You don’t usually get to see the relationships and cross-influences of that time and the influence Judaism had on other cultures. It’s incredible to have these experts and scholars at YU who can work together with experts of other fields of knowledge to figure out how we all got to where we are today.” “Byzantium and Islam” is on display at the MET through July 8. For more information about the Center for Israel Studies, visit www.yu.edu/cis. none

Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host Michael Medved Discusses the Race for the White House As the 2012 presidential race kicks into high gear, nationally-acclaimed conservative talk show host, film critic and political commentator Michael Medved shared his insights and predictions about election outcomes with Yeshiva University students on April 18. [caption id="attachment_10298" align="alignleft" width="344" caption="Michael Medved speaks to YU students at a Republican Club event on April 18."][/caption] Medved, a Sabbath-observant host of the nationally syndicated The Michael Medved Show, speculated about Governor Mitt Romney’s campaign strategy and a potentially unprecedented outcome of the election. Medved also discussed factors he felt affected the Jewish vote and reflected on his first experiences in politics, as a student working for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign during his junior year at Yale University. “Every election, without exception, we’re told this is the most important and critical election of your lifetime,” said Medved. “They say that to get you to vote. But this election truly is exciting and unpredictable.” According to Medved, Romney could potentially win the Electoral College, but there is a chance for a crushing win of the popular vote by incumbent President Barack Obama—a situation Medved said had not arisen in American politics since the 1876 presidential race between Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. He outlined as well the strategy he felt could regain the White House for Republicans: conservative substance, moderate tone. “Most people, when they vote, don’t vote for someone who inspires them, but against something they fear,” Medved said. “The Republicans need Romney to inspire and incite conservatives without scaring away moderates and people in the middle.” The talk was hosted by the YU Republican Club and also featured a question-and-answer session, during which students and members of the public sought Medved’s take on everything from Romney’s best pick as running mate (“Senator Rob Portman is likely, but dull and safe. I like New Mexico Governor Suzanne Martinez for the job.”) to the possibility of a third party splitting the vote. “Because Mr. Medved is both an observant Jew with a personal connection to the YU community and an influential political commentator, we felt he has an interesting perspective on the upcoming presidential election,” said Eitan Polster ’13YC, vice president of YU Republican Club. “His incredible success on the radio makes him a highly sought-after speaker and we were honored to host him to speak to us.  We felt that his ability to relate to millions of listeners on a daily basis gives him the unique ability to engage and captivate a diverse YU audience from all sections of the political spectrum.” That was certainly true for Holly Hampton, a junior majoring in history at Stern College for Women, who described herself as a longtime Medved listener who first heard him on The Dennis Prager Show. “I really learned a lot about the upcoming election and it was interesting to hear his view of the Republican candidate and party,” she said. For Medved, whose daughter Sarah is a graduate of Stern College and YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, the opportunity to speak at YU also offered a chance to connect with students who were passionate about and invested in their future as American citizens and Orthodox Jews. “I’ve always been impressed by the bright and refined young people I’ve met here,” said Medved. “YU is a resource of talent within the Jewish community.” Learn more about the 2012 presidential election from leading political experts at the Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence program on April 30. none

Center for Israel Studies Collaborates on Groundbreaking Byzantium and Islam Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum At the start of the seventh century, the eastern Mediterranean—from Syria through Egypt and across North Africa—was central to the spiritual and political heart of the Byzantine Empire, ruled from Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Yet, by the end of the same century, the region had become a vital part of the emerging Islamic world, as it expanded westward from Mecca and Medina. Opening March 14 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition represents the first major museum exhibition to focus on this pivotal era in the history of the eastern Mediterranean. [caption id="attachment_9954" align="alignleft" width="387" caption="Fine and Schwartz of YU's Center for Israel Studies collaborated with the Met on their latest exhibition."][/caption] Through some 300 exceptional works of art, the groundbreaking presentation will reveal the artistic and cultural adaptations and innovations that resulted during the initial centuries of contact between these two worlds. The exhibition features a major catalog entry titled, "Jews and Judaism between Byzantium and Islam," written by Dr. Steven Fine, director of Yeshiva University’s Center for Israel Studies. Fine was instrumental in the choosing and interpreting the artifacts that illustrate the Jewish experience at this important crossroads. He will present the artifacts at a lecture titled, “Jews and Samaritans in an Age of Transition” on March 18. “This exhibition illustrates a time when our ancestors preserved their Torah lifestyle while embracing the new—living in a world that had been utterly transformed around them and transforming to meet the challenge,” said Fine. “Not only did they move from being Aramaic and Greek speakers to Arabic speakers, but for the first time manuscripts of chazal were written down. New ways of writing Biblical commentary developed as Jews began to think and write in ways similar to Moslem and Christian academics of their time.” [caption id="attachment_9957" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mosaic of a Menorah from the Hammam Lif Synagogue (Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum)"][/caption] The Center for Israel Studies will also co-sponsor “Perspectives on Byzantium and Islam,” an international conference featuring noted scholars at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday, March 20. “The invitation to be involved in this exhibition from the conceptualization period to the present is very gratifying to me,” said Fine. “Our philosophy of Torah U’madda has infused our participation in Byzantium and Islam, where we have focused on issues that are both globally significant and show the academic rigor and expertise in Judaic studies for which YU is famous.” Fine was assisted on the project by Yitzchak Schwartz, research associate and coordinator at the Center for Israel Studies. Schwartz, a student at YU's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, spent the last year interning at the Met. Learn more about the exhibition and upcoming events at The Center for Israel Studies Web site. none

Reception Celebrates Publication of Volume Honoring David Berger On March 5, Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School hosted a special reception to mark the publication of a scholarly volume of collected essays honoring Dean David Berger, Ruth & I. Lewis Gordon Professor of Jewish History. [flickrslideshow acct_name="yeshivauniversity" id="72157629577504015"] Before a gathering that included three past Revel deans and noted scholars in academic Jewish studies, co-editors Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University, and Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought at YU, presented Berger with an honorary copy of the book, New Perspectives on Jewish-Christian Relations: In Honor of David Berger (Brill Academic Press). The two spoke about Berger’s substantial contributions to academic Jewish scholarship in multiple fields over the last 40 years, including the impact he has made on their own careers. “Dean Berger opened up for me a scholarly path I had no idea existed, serving as a model of how to be a colleague and teacher in academia and how to conduct oneself when many difficult questions hang in the balance,” said Carlebach. Schacter recalled his first academic Jewish studies class with Berger as a student at Brooklyn College: “I encountered a teacher who gave me language, categories and a sense of optimism that somehow these two worlds could coalesce,” he said. “To learn about rishonim in the college classroom for me was not just an intellectual exercise but a profound personal experience.” The reception was hosted in the President’s Office by Dr. Mordechai Z. Cohen, professor of Bible and associate dean of Revel, who has worked closely with Berger since they assumed leadership of the graduate school in 2008. “Dean Berger has a profound vision of academic Jewish studies and its importance among the Torah U’madda community that makes YU distinct and the flagship of Modern Orthodoxy,” said Cohen. “For YU to be YU, we needed someone of your vision, goodness, learning and scholarship to take us down the winding road that would strengthen our unique commitment to honoring Torah, honoring thought and making this a center for the world of Jewish ideas and Jewish ideals,” said YU President Richard M. Joel. Before friends, colleagues and students, Berger reflected on his own multifaceted academic history, describing his journey as a high school student from the Yeshiva of Flatbush to a Yeshiva College graduate and Columbia PhD candidate, including his more than 35 years teaching at YU on both a part and full-time basis. “There’s something very special about YU students and the ideals for which this university stands,” said Berger. “The principle of Torah U’madda applies of course to virtually all academic and cultural fields, but nowhere does it play out more strikingly than at the intersection of Torah in the focused, traditional sense and the disciplines that go by the name Academic Jewish Studies. Many manifestations of this intersection go to the core of a sophisticated understanding of Judaism itself.” Berger added: “To return to YU full-time in 2008 was to realize one of my central commitments in the ideal environment.” none

Revel Faculty Presents March 18 Yom Iyun at Manhattan's Jewish Center as Part of 75th Anniversary Celebration As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies will present a Yom Iyun [day of learning] at The Jewish Center, on 131 West 86th Street in Manhattan on Sunday March 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. [caption id="attachment_9923" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Dr. Mordechai Cohen will serve as scholar in residence at The Jewish Center over Shabbat, March 16-17."][/caption] The program will include a series of lectures on a variety of topics on the theme of “New Perspectives on Jewish-Christian Relations” and will feature YU’s acclaimed professors and scholars: Dr. Mordechai Z. Cohen, professor of Bible and associate dean at Revel; Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, professor of Jewish history and Jewish thought at YU; Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University and senior adjunct professor at YU; and Dr. David Berger, Ruth and I. Lewis Gordon Professor of Jewish History and Dean of Revel. Berger will keynote the event and discuss “Jewish Studies and Judaism: Personal Reflections on a Career in Academic Jewish Scholarship.” He will be introduced by Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel. Revel, which was established in 1937, has “greatly enhanced its faculty and offerings in central fields of study over the past few years,” said Berger. “These fields include Sephardic studies, Bible, Jewish history and Jewish philosophy. Along with a vibrant masters program, the doctoral program has more than doubled in size with an infusion of outstanding young men and women.” Cohen, who has taught at Revel for more than 20 years, will also serve as scholar in residence at The Jewish Center over Shabbat, March 16-17. “As Revel enters its fourth quarter-century, we are continually improving our program with an eye to the future of the Jewish community,” said Cohen. “The events we are holding at the Jewish Center are designed to illustrate the critical contribution of academic Jewish scholarship to the vibrancy of modern Orthodoxy.” For more information, please visit www.yu.edu/revel or email shalpern@yu.edu. none

From New Master’s Programs to a Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education, Yeshiva University Expands its Offerings Graduate education at Yeshiva University continues to thrive—and grow. A new Executive MBA program and master’s programs in arts and education join an academic landscape already home to one of the nation’s top medical schools, one of the finest law schools, and leading graduate schools for social work, psychology, Jewish studies and Jewish education and administration. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Hv2ALnJno&feature=relmfu In the past year, the University has introduced a variety of new master’s and certificate programs and expanded existing ones, in response to student demand and interest.

The Center for Executive and Professional Education at the Syms School of Business will launch an Executive MBA program in August, featuring classes on Sundays.

Syms’ MS Program in Accounting, now in its third year, is continuing its successful expansion and has nearly tripled in size since its inception. A new feature offers classes during the summer for non-accounting majors who choose to attend.

YU’s Graduate Programs in Arts and Sciences is also expanding its offerings. The math department unveiled a new PhD program in Mathematical Sciences this past fall, a selective program open to students who have already completed 60 credits of graduate-level study.

The math department is also continuing to offer its MA program in mathematics, currently in its second year, in addition to a BA-MA option that is now open to current YU students who wish to take graduate level courses during their senior year on campus and apply those credits toward a master’s degree.

The department of economics is launching a new MS program in quantitative economics (MQE), slated to begin in September. It is considered a pre-experience program, open to recent college graduates. Similar to the master’s in math, the MQE also includes a BA-MS option open to current YU students who wish to earn credits towards their graduate degree.

This past fall, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration introduced an Accelerated Master’s Program in Jewish education.  The one year, full time program balances intensive course study alongside practical teaching experience in the classroom.  A select cohort of ten students proceed through the program together, enriching one another by sharing their knowledge and learning experiences.  The program is fully sponsored by the Jim Joseph Foundation and applications are currently being accepted for the fall, 2012 cohort.

Azrieli Graduate School continues to expand program offerings and was recently approved by the New York State Education Department to offer two new Master’s degrees leading to New York State teaching certification.  Students who hold an initial certification in Childhood Education 1-6 can now enroll at Azrieli in the 36-credit Advanced Childhood Education 1-6 program leading to NYS professional teacher certification.  Students who wish to teach at the middle/high school level can enroll in a 42 credit Adolescence Education program leading to initial/professional certification in grades 7-12 biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, social studies, English and Hebrew.  Additionally, undergraduate students can begin these MS programs as seniors in the joint BA/MS program with Yeshiva College and Stern College for Women.  Both certification programs will begin in the fall, 2012.

The Institute for University-School Partnership, with generous support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, currently has 51 educators enrolled in the 2nd year of its Online Certificate Programs in Differentiated Instruction, Educational Technology Integration, and Student Support. In the coming year they will be adding a brand new program in Online/Blended Instruction and Design. Each online program lasts 30 weeks and is broken up into 3 courses of 10 weeks each. These programs are taught entirely online and asynchronously with weekly assignments and outstanding instructors who provide weekly feedback and practical take-aways to enhance the learning of students in the classroom.

For the first time this year, the Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) partnered with the Machon Puah Institute to offer a certificate program for graduates of YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary to educate them on halachic and medical issues related to infertility.

In June, the CJF will launch the second installment of its Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education, sponsored by the Jim Joseph Foundation. The curriculum comprises four seminars that focus on the theories and applications of experiential education: imparting values, creating experiences, cultivating communities and self development. Participants are also connected with a mentor who works with one on one and guides them in developing a final focal project.

Learn more about all of YU’s graduate schools by visiting www.yu.edu/academics/graduate-schools/. none

Oscar-Nominated Film Screened at YU Film Festival; Director Participates in Q &A On February 16, Yeshiva University hosted a special screening of “Footnote,” the thought-provoking Israeli film that has created so much Oscar buzz, followed by a rare behind-the-scenes discussion with director Joseph Cedar. [caption id="attachment_9660" align="alignleft" width="344" caption=""Footnote" Director Joseph Cedar, at right, with Dr. Eric Goldman, answered questions from the audience following the Feb. 16 screening."][/caption] The film, scheduled for theatrical release in mid-March, explores the lives of father and son Talmudic scholars who find themselves in competition with each other. It won “Best Screenplay” at Cannes, “Best Picture” at the Ophir Awards and is nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film” at this year’s Academy Awards. “It’s an incredible privilege to have a screening of the film before it opens in theaters,” said Dr. Eric Goldman, adjunct associate professor of cinema at Yeshiva and Stern College and artistic director of the festival. “Joseph Cedar is in the mold of our students—a practicing Jew interested in blending Torah and Madda in his life. He mixes Torah, his traditional community, and culture in his life’s work as a filmmaker.” Members of the YU community flooded the Beren Campus’s Schottenstein Cultural Center for a sneak preview of the movie as part of the YU Ring Family Film Festival, titled “A Lens on Israel: A Society through its Cinema.” The four-part festival is supplemented by a variety of lectures, workshops and open forums with leading Israeli actors, writers, producers and directors. After the screening of “Footnote,” Cedar joined Goldman onstage for a frank question-and-answer session with the audience. Cedar shared his inspiration for the film and addressed curiosity about the characters’ resemblance to real people. He also spoke about his own relationship with the sacred text at the heart of “Footnote” and its influence on his writing process. [caption id="attachment_9665" align="alignright" width="229" caption="Cedar's "Footnote" is nominated for "Best Foreign Language Film" at the upcoming Academy Awards."][/caption] “The value of argument is what drives all the dialogue in the Talmud,” said Cedar. “From a dramatic point of view, that’s also what drives any story. The idea is that the direction is not necessarily towards resolving conflict, but deepening it, and using any kind of argument to crystallize the subject on which we’re arguing is a style and a thinking process I’ve adopted as a storyteller.” Estee Goldschmidt ’11S, a second-year medieval Jewish history student at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies, came to the film with her Talmud class, taught by Dr. Yaakov Elman. “Academic Talmud has this idea that it’s the unbiased and most rational and honest approach to Talmud and this movie really turns that perception of academia on its head,” she said. Goldschmidt found the conversation with Cedar especially illuminating: “It was like being there while the film was being made.” “This movie encapsulates what a Jewish-Israeli film should be,” said Dr. Norman Adler, University professor of psychology and special assistant to the provost for cultural affairs. “The multilayered story touches on tradition and modernity and filial piety versus intergenerational conflict and questions how we approach our traditional texts in this post-modern age. The tension and dialectic, crafted into great art, helps all of us—especially our students, who are grappling with these questions—to see the world through the lens of a brilliant creative artist.” none

Holocaust Scholar Deborah Lipstadt to Discuss Eichmann Trial at December 12 Lecture Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, internationally renowned Holocaust scholar and best-selling author of the The Eichmann Trial, will discuss “The Eichman Trial: A Legal Travesty or a Crowning Moment in Israel’s History?” on Monday, December 12, 2011. The event will be held in Koch Auditorium, on Yeshiva University’s  Beren Campus, 245 Lexington Avenue, New York City at 8 p.m. [caption id="attachment_8914" align="alignleft" width="151" caption="Dr. Deborah Lipstadt"][/caption] The Eichmann Trial (Schocken, 2011), published in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the trial, was called by Publisher’s Weekly “a penetrating and authoritative dissection of a landmark case and its after effects.” Lipstadt’s other titles include History On Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2006); Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (Free Press/Macmillan, 1993); and Beyond Belief: The American Press and the Coming of the Holocaust (Free Press/MacMillan, 1986, 1993). Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, where she founded the Institute for Jewish Studies and served as its first director from 1998-2008. Lipstadt served as an historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and was appointed by President Clinton to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SziZ4iWTOI Lipstadt’s lecture has been made possible through its sponsors: Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence Program, Hillel Rogoff Memorial Lecture, S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program and Stern College for Women. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information or to RSVP please contact Jaff@yu.edu. none

After Leading an International Research Team on Jewish, Christian and Muslim Scriptural Interpretation, Dr. Mordechai Cohen Returns to Revel Dr. Mordechai Cohen, a leading world scholar of Jewish Bible interpretation, has taught at Yeshiva University for more than 23 years. Last year, however, this popular professor went off campus. [caption id="attachment_8929" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Revel's Dr. Mordechai Cohen led the multi-faith research project at Jerusalem’s Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS)."][/caption] Specifically, Cohen was in Jerusalem, where he devoted his efforts to an entirely different scholarly project than his usual research on the Hebrew Bible and its classical commentators, but that drew upon his academic background and administrative skills. (Cohen has served as associate dean of YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies since 2008, appointed at the invitation of then newly installed Dean David Berger, and has spearheaded the school’s rejuvenation on many levels—academic, social and communal.) Cohen organized, directed and was a key participant in an international team of 14 leading scholars of Jewish, Christian and Muslim interpretation—as well as its relation to literature, literary theory and legal hermeneutics—that gathered in Jerusalem for a six-month collaborative research project. The project was titled “Encountering Scripture in Overlapping Cultures: Early Jewish, Christian and Muslim Strategies of Reading and Their Contemporary Implications” and its extraordinary interdisciplinary findings will be presented in a scholarly volume consisting of a chapter from each group member. The book is being edited by Cohen together with Adele Berlin, Emerita Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Maryland and a member of the research group. The group of scholars, hailing from the United States, Israel and Europe, convened at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) from September 2010 through February 2011. The work of this research group at the IAS was academic and not of a religious or interfaith nature. Its purpose was to engage in a close comparative analysis of shifting cultural encounters with Sacred Scripture—the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Qur’an—in the three overlapping faith communities. Cohen directed the group together with Meir Bar-Asher, professor of Islamic studies at Hebrew University and a world expert on Shiite Islam. A Rare Undertaking There were practical hurdles to overcome in planning this collaborative research project and organizing the group’s six-month stay in Jerusalem. In the world of academics, interdisciplinary analysis of scriptural interpretation in the three Abrahamic faiths is a rarity. Rarer still is the ability to convene scholars in each of these fields for such an extended period of time. However, Cohen took on the challenge, predicting promise in engaging scholars with a spectrum of specialties. [caption id="attachment_8938" align="alignright" width="430" caption="Group members: Meir Bar-Asher, Hebrew University; Andrew Kraebel, Yale University; Cohen and Alastair Minnis, Yale."][/caption] The institutions represented by group members included the Catholic University of America, the University of Exeter, the University of Glasgow, Harvard University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Rome and Yale University. “It takes many years to become proficient in the tradition of scriptural interpretation in any one faith community, requiring mastery of old languages (Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Latin, Arabic) and complex hermeneutical traditions—in Hazal and Rishonim, the Church Fathers and medieval expositors, and Hadith and Tafsir literature,” said Cohen. “Our group had the benefit of the presence of top scholars in all of these fields, enabling us to compare and exchange views at the highest academic levels.” The group identified previously unrecognized connections among the three faith communities and came to appreciate differences that separated them. As an example, Cohen points to an intensive two-week period of lectures devoted to parallel conceptions of the “literal sense” (Hebrew peshat; Latin senus litteralis; Arabic zahir, haqiqa) that emerged in the medieval period in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. On the other hand, the notion that Scripture is the prime source of law (religious and civil) is common to Judaism (halacha) and Islam (shari‘ah), but foreign to Christianity. Differences and Similarities Cohen’s own research emphasizes the connections between Judaism’s tradition of scriptural interpretation (parshanut hamiqra) with ways of understanding Sacred Scripture in Islam and Christianity. His published work reveals, for example, how Maimonides synthesized various elements from Arabic learning to create a well-defined interpretive theory—the subject of his most recent book, Opening the Gates of Interpretation (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2011). “Understanding Maimonides’ intellectual milieu was a key that opened up so many locked doors,” said Cohen, who expected similar benefits to all members of the group when they saw the traditions they studied with the added benefit of the areas of expertise provided by other group members. [caption id="attachment_8933" align="alignleft" width="393" caption="Scholars of Jewish, Christian and Muslim interpretation gathered in Jerusalem for the six-month research project."][/caption] And this prediction came true in spades. Citing just one example, Cohen notes a fascinating parallel the group discovered between Rashi’s critical citation of midrashic literature and the biblical commentaries of his contemporary St. Bruno of Cologne (1030-1101), the highly influential founder of the Carthusian monastic order and Master at the Cathedral School at the important city of Rheims, just 65 miles from Rashi’s native Troyes. Bruno was revolutionary in incorporating in his commentaries only those interpretations of the Church Fathers that take into account “the letter” of Scripture and the “continuum” of the verses. Rashi likewise selected midrashic commentaries of the Rabbis that correspond reasonably to what he refers to as leshon ha-miqra (“the language of Scripture”) and seder ha-devarim (“the order of the words”). The core academic activities of the group while at the IAS consisted of weekly seminar meetings and an intensive four-day conference in January. While in Jerusalem, each member gave two or three substantial papers presenting his or her latest research—often on quite different subjects. The diverse makeup of the group fostered what Cohen describes as “an unparalleled atmosphere of interdisciplinary research, broadening the academic horizons of all of our participants.” The project was an enriching experience for Cohen in other ways, too, as he was pleasantly surprised to discover another, more institutionally based parallel between Jewish and Christian learning. Cohen, who has semicha [rabbinic ordination] from YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), formed a special personal bond with Sidney Griffith, an ordained Catholic priest as well as Ordinary Professor of Semitic Languages at the Catholic University of America. As Griffith informed him, Catholic University, which also has a theological seminary, faces parallel ideological challenges to Yeshiva University with regard to the integration of academic and religious study, and between sacred and secular learning—what would be called Torah Umadda at YU. Of course, visiting the Holy Land for half a year without sightseeing could be labeled scandalous; the group of scholars—some of whom were visiting Israel for the first time—also had the opportunity to go on organized trips to sites of Jewish, Muslim and Christian interest. More to Come Toward the end of the six-month research project, Cohen presented some of the group’s findings to an audience of 150 in a public lecture—introduced by YU President Richard M. Joel—on January 24, 2011. At the event, which prompted numerous questions, Cohen highlighted the general relevance of the project to a diverse cross-section of the broad Jerusalem community. The cooperative project that began in Jerusalem is ongoing. Apart from the volume—consisting of essays by all of the participants of the group based on their presentations—that Cohen and Berlin are currently editing, a follow-up conference is scheduled for July 2012 in Jerusalem that will bring the group together again to explore how their initial comparative project at the IAS has informed their subsequent scholarship. The author, Yaelle Frohlich is currently completing a master's in modern Jewish history and serving as student liaison at Revel. She served as editor-in-chief of the Stern College student newspaper, The YU Observer, from 2009 to 2010 and can be reached at yrfrohli@yu.edu. none

Yeshiva University to Release Follow-Up to Mitokh Ha-Ohel Featuring Original Essays on the Haftarot from Faculty Throughout the University Yeshiva University will be publishing a follow-up to Mitokh Ha-Ohel, its widely praised collection of original essays by rabbis and professors from every division of the University on the weekly parashiyot [Torah portions], this time focusing on the haftarot, the weekly selections from the books of the Prophets. The new volume, entitled Mitokh Ha-Ohel: The Haftarot, is sponsored by the Michael Scharf Publication Trust of Yeshiva University Press and is scheduled for release by Maggid Books, an imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, on November 8, 2011. [caption id="attachment_8614" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Mitokh Ha-Ohel's second volume features scholarly articles on the haftarot from contributors spanning the YU spectrum."][/caption] Like its predecessor, the second installment of Mitokh Ha-Ohel (literally “from within the tent”) brings together a diverse range of scholars and rabbinic thinkers, the multi-faceted voices of Yeshiva University, to elucidate and explore all of the haftarot from a wide range of approaches, including textual analysis, homiletic exposition, halakhic [Jewish law] analysis and academic exploration. “Sharing the profound Torah insights of Yeshiva University’s scholars, the Mitokh Ha-Ohel series enriches all who peruse its pages with glimpses of the full 70 faces of the Torah," said Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel. "Just like on Simchat Torah, we acknowledge our continued dedication to the Torah and to the other portions of Tanakh by offering this new volume for continued study. In offering their unique perspective on the words of the prophets, the contributors to Mitokh Ha-Ohel: The Haftarot display the breadth and the depth of Yeshiva University in a way that complements and yet is different from the first Mitokh Ha-Ohel.” While Mitokh Ha-Ohel: The Haftarot features essays from returning contributors, there are quite a few contributors who are new to the series. As with the first volume, this anthology, with more than 700 pages, includes essays from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) from the rabbis, professors and administrators of Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, the Mazer Yeshiva Program, the Irving I. Stone Beit Midrash Program, the Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies, the James Striar School of General Jewish Studies, the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Studies, the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, the Center for the Jewish Future, and the Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute of RIETS in Jerusalem. “Works such as this reveal the true strength of Yeshiva University. Men and women, professors and rabbis, faculty and administration alike, all contribute their unique insights to the common goal of spreading Torah knowledge,” added President Joel. “It is my hope that as the wisdom emanating from YU reaches larger and more diverse audiences, the tent of the Jewish people will prove stronger and more inviting than ever before.” none