Center for Jewish StudiesDuke University and the Center for Jewish Studies are proud to host The Bible in the Public Square conference this Fall - September 9-10. Keynote speakers will include Charles Haynes Senior Scholar at the First Amendment Center, and Melissa Rogers, who was appointed in 2009 by President Barack Obama to serve as chair of his inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. We hope you will join us for this event that is open to the public! read more about Bible in the Public Square Conference Schedule »
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Editor's Note: In 2008, Duke Magazine profiled five incoming members of the Class of 2012. As the class prepares to graduate this month, the magazine returned to the students to see how they fared, and one story is reprinted below. More can be found in the May issue of Duke Magazine. Paul Salem: Hard work, preparation and moral purpose. Photo by Jon Gardiner/Duke University Photography Durham, NC - As the oldest member of the Class of 2012 and its only combat veteran, former U.S.… read more about Paul Salem: A Moral Imperative to Heal »
Come celebrate the end of a great year with us. Our guests will be Mirjam and Noam Zadoff from the University of Munich. They will lead a discussion on: “Jewish-German Dialogues: Gershom and Werner Scholem.” Please RSVP to Amy at amy.vargas@duke.edu papers available: JSS – Zadoffs abstract JSS – Mirjam Zadoff-2 JSS – Noam Zadoff read more about Next Seminar May 3 with Mirjam and Noam Zadoff »
Moshe Feiglin is not known for his film criticism. A high ranking member of Israel’s ruling Likud party, the right-winger is better known for his extremist views. Yet, two months ago, he published one of the most important aesthetic pronouncements to be made in Israel in recent years. Featured in Ma’ariv, Feiglin’s statement was made vis-à-vis Joseph Cedar‘s award-winning film Footnote. Given its political significance, it is worth quoting at length:“What shall I say? In the past, one could not find an… read more about Shai Ginsburg writes on Joseph Cedar’s "Footnote" »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Sunday, April 29. Our guest is Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies and Co-Director, Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Stanford University. She will present “Rabbinic Urban Topography: The Eruv and other Neighborhood Maps.” paper available JSS – Fonrobert read more about Next seminar April 29 with Charlotte E. Fonrobert »
Q&A with Mark Goodacre and Eric MeyersBy Lauren Carroll In the week following Easter and Passover, a new controversial book and corresponding film about religious archeology is gathering media attention. Filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and James Tabor, chair of the religious studies department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, believe they have found an ossuary containing the bones of Jesus Christ and his wife and child in the East Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem. But, two Duke… read more about Q&A with Mark Goodacre and Eric Meyers »
The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the Center for Jewish Studies are pleased to announce the availability of new fellowships to support scholars, students, and independent researchers whose work would benefit from access to the Judaica materials held by the Rubenstein Library, the Duke Divinity School Library, and/or Perkins Library. Applicants must live outside of a 100-mile radius from Durham, NC. More information can be found at the following:… read more about Research Fellowships in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Sunday, March 18. Our guest will be Professor Christine Hayes of Yale University. She will lead a discussion of her essay “Legal Realism and Sectarian Self-Fashioning in Jewish Antiquity.” paper available JSS-Hayes read more about Next Seminar March 18 with Prof. Christine Hayes »
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Eric Meyers’ review of “The New Jesus Discovery”Review of “The New Jesus Discovery” (Simon and Schuster 2012, ISBN 978-1-4516-5040-2) Eric M.Meyers, Duke UniversityFor nearly two millennia Christians have venerated the site believed to be where Jesus was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built at a place where liturgical celebrations were held in honor of Christ’s death and resurrection, even before the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. Emperor Hadrian in 135 CE built his Capitoline temple there, and a shrine… read more about Eric Meyers' Review of "The New Jesus Discovery" »
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The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Feb. 26. Our guest will be Prof. Jonathan Elukin of Trinity College. He will lead a discussion of his paper “Is Shylock really Jewish? The Devil, Theology and the Meaning of the Merchant of Venice.” This seminar is co-sponsored by Triangle Medieval Studies Seminar. Paper available JSS – Elukin read more about Next seminar Feb. 26 with Prof. Jonathan Elukin »
Professor Laura Lieber, Assistant Director of the Center for Jewish Studies, will participate in a faculty panel at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, February 20, to lead a post-film discussion for Little Town of Bethlehem that examines the contemporary nonviolence movement in Israel and the Palestinian territories. This event is open to the public, and more information can be found at the following: http://kenan.ethics.duke.edu/little-town-of-bethlehem-screening-feb-20/ read more about Jewish Studies Faculty To Sit On Ethics FIlm Panel »
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The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Tuesday, February 7. Our guest will be Professor Sidra Ezrahi of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He will lead a discussion on “Europe, Israel and America in the Twentieth Century: The Global Theatre of Jewish Tragedy, Epic and Comedy.” paper available JSS – Ezrahi read more about February 7 seminar with Professor Sidra Ezrahi »
Holy Land Archaeology Course Blog Duke students travel to Israel-Palestine in this course entitled “Holy Land Archaeology” on the major archaeological sites of the region and the political and religious issues that emerge from or surround their excavation. In this blog students post about their experiences, course of study, and impressions of the Holy Land. read more about Holy Land Archaeology Course »
Duke Professors Eric and Carol Meyers visit Istanbul with the Diwan Society of North Carolina in the summer of 2009. In this interview they talk about the special place that Turkey holds as a link between East and West, as well as a religious community of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Drawing on their years of experience, they speak about the significance of interfaith discourse, and the bridge between historic and modern Turkey as an ecumenical community. read more about A Conversation with Eric and Carol Meyers: Ambassadors for Peace - An Interfaith Journey to Turkey »
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Abraham and Isaac — or, as some would have it, Ibrahim and Ishmael — took center stage when some of America’s most prominent Modern Orthodox rabbis and Muslim imams discussed their respective legal systems and foundational texts, and their implications for Jewish-Muslim relations today. The October 30 seminar “Ancient Texting” brought together 15 rabbis expert in Halacha, or traditional Jewish law, and 15 imams steeped in shariah, traditional Muslim law, for a recent daylong seminar at Manhattan’s historic Temple… read more about Rabbis and Imams discuss halacha and shariah. »
Durham, NC - In the beginning, Shalom Goldman didn't have much of a future.Goldman began studying comparative religions while a University of Wisconsin undergrad in the early 1970s, a time when that field was considered less than a growth market.Religion was an internal thing then, a relationship between you and your God, not something discussed as loudly or publicly as it is today. Things have changed."When I started to study this, it was interesting to maybe 200 people in the world," says Goldman, a new addition to… read more about Shalom Goldman: Teaching With Sacred Stories »
After more than a century since the founding of Zionism, the Jewish political movement continues to wrestle with the future of Israel, a leading scholar said.Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, discussed his vision for Zionism in the 21st century and the importance of honest conversation between diaspora and Israeli Jews in a lecture Tuesday. The event was sponsored by the Rudnick Endowment.“The Jewish people need new Zionist dreams,” Eisen said. “2011 is not 1896.”Israeli Jews should… read more about Lecture promotes Jewish unity in US, Israel »
Spring Courses are now online! Register on ACES for what promises to be an extremely exciting semester! Shalom Goldman is teaching an exciting new course on Zionism for Spring 2012. Sign up now for this class, and read an excerpt from his book, "Zeal for Zionism," here: http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/2171/excerpt:_the_christian_roots_of_zionismLaura Lieber is teaching courses on Jewish Ethics, as well as Magic, Mysticism and Folklore in the Jewish Tradition! Learn about medieval Zombie Stories… read more about Spring 2012 Courses Now Open »
As old regimes in the Arab world dissolve, a new voice is asserting itself on contentious regional issues. Now the world’s 15th largest economy, Turkey is quickly becoming a powerful voice in Middle Eastern politics.To address the changing political landscape of northern Africa and the Middle East, the Sanford School of Public Policy held a discussion Tuesday with two journalists who follow Middle Eastern politics, focusing especially on Turkey and Israel. In a panel titled “Israel-Turkey and the Greater Middle East… read more about Panelists evaluate Turkey as a model for democracy »
Rabbi Marshall Meyer was an ordinary man whose extraordinary convictions, faith, and impetuous personality impelled him to become one of the most important human rights activists during Argentina's Dirty War (1976-1983). Marshall is remembered for what he did, namely his human rights work and social justice activism. But his legacy is made that much greater by his ability to articulate why we are all responsible for speaking out against injustice. This exhibit is not only a commemoration of the… read more about "I Have No Right to Be Silent" exhibit opened October 4 at the Duke Divinity School, York Room. »
Archaeology, Bible, Politics and the Media Drawing on their decades of experience on archaeological digs in Israel, Duke University Professors Carol and Eric Meyers take questions from online viewers about the charged combination of archaeology, the Bible, politics and the news media, during an "Office Hours" conversation September 1, 2011. read more about Archaeology, Bible, Politics and the Media »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar will be Sunday, November 13. This will be a joint session with the Triangle Medieval Studies Seminar. Our presenter will be Julie Mell (NCSU). She will lead a discussion of “The Jewish Serfdom that Never Was: Jews and the origins of English representative government.” paper available JSS-Mell read more about November 13 Seminar with Julie Mell »
The Jewish Studies Seminar will meet on September 11 at 3PM. Our guest will be Professor Kenneth B. Moss, Felix Posen Associate Professor of Modern Jewish History, Department of History and Chair, the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Program in Jewish Studies, The Johns Hopkins University. He will lead a discussion of "Unchosen Peoplehood: Spoiled Identity, Political [...] read more about September 11 seminar with Prof. Kenneth B. Moss »
Sept. 11 – Kenneth Moss (Johns Hopkins Univ.) “Unchosen Peoplehood: Spoiled Identity, Political Extrusion, and the National Horizon of Polish Jews, 1918-1939″ Nov. 13 – Julie Mell (NCSU) “The Jewish Serfdom That Never Was: Jews and the Origins of English Representative Government” Dec. 4 – Omar Kamil (Dubnov Institute, Leipzig) “Arab Approaches to Jewish History: [...] read more about 2011 – 2012 Jewish Studies Seminar Schedule »