Humanities & Jewish Studies
A Trailblazing Musician with a Mind of His Own
Prof. Taiseer Elias didn’t set out to become a cultural ambassador, but his passion and mastery of the oud – a musical instrument used in much of the Middle East – is doing just that. Elias, who has a PhD in musicology from Hebrew University and teaches in Bar-Ilan University’s music department has almost single-handedly brought the oud to the forefront of the Israeli and world classical music scene, entertaining Jewish and Arab audiences alike. Full Article>>
Teaching Business Improvisation through the Power of Music
Orit Wolf was on stage, alone at the piano, in front of an audience of hundreds. Only 12-years-old, her performance was being broadcast over the Voice of Israel’s classical music radio station to thousands more. And then she froze. “I had a complete blackout,” she says. “I couldn’t remember what I was playing, I couldn’t remember the notes.” There was only one thing to do. “I started to improvise,” confides the 38-year-old concert pianist from Jaffa who is a graduate of BIU's prestigious Doctoral Fellowship of Excellence program. Full Article>>
Gathering Evidence on the Biblical Revolution
The Hebrew Bible is a revolutionary document. But to understand the nature of this revolution, one needs to examine how the Biblical text is both similar to and different from the cultural norms of the ancient environment in which it first appeared. This is the research focus of Dr. Nili Samet, a BIU-trained scholar who recently joined the faculty after completing post-doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania. Full Article>>
Mind the Dig: Unearthing Jewish Heritage
Dozens of students and volunteers from around the globe joined Bar-Ilan archaeologists this past summer for an unforgettable hands-on experience digging into the past at two important Biblical Period sites. Under the capable supervision of Prof. Aren Maeir, of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, enthusiastic participants from the US, Canada, South Korea, the UK, Hungary, China, Spain and other countries chiseled away at the layers of civilization, helping to uncover rich finds and make BIU's 2012 summer excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath and Tel Burna a resounding success! Full Article>>
A Trailblazing Musician with a Mind of His Own
Prof. Taiseer Elias didn’t set out to become a cultural ambassador, but his passion and mastery of the oud – a musical instrument used in much of the Middle East – is doing just that. Elias, who has a PhD in musicology from Hebrew University and teaches in BarIlan University’s music department, has almost single-handedly brought the oud to the forefront of the Israeli and world classical music scene, entertaining Jewish and Arab audiences alike.
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The Mesoret is the Message
A leading spokesman for Modern Orthodoxy who holds a PhD in Medieval Jewish History from Harvard, Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Woolf is well positioned to communicate his perspective about where Israel’s Jewish community has been, and where it’s going. Full Article>>
Literary Man of Faith: The Integrated Torah Vision of Prof. William Kolbrener
In his latest book, Bar-Ilan literature Prof. William Kolbrener unabashedly advocates renewed Jewish commitment – and openness – for the twenty-first century. What exactly does this have to do with John Milton, a Christian poet who was one of the most celebrated writers to emerge out of the Protestant Reformation in 17th century
Thinking About Theology: Dr. Livnat Holtzman and the Roots of Islamic Fundamentalism
With revolutions erupting all over the Arab world, it is understandable if Western commentators are sometimes swept up in the politics of the moment. However, according to Dr. Livnat Holtzman, we would be better prepared to understand the present if we had a firmer grasp of theological trends in the Arab world’s not-too-distant past. Full Article>>
Dr. Adam Ferziger - Getting a Grasp on the Contemporary Jewish World
How is intermarriage changing the fabric of American Jewish society? What role do interdenominational conflicts play in current Jewish religious life? Do ventures such as Birthright and heritage tours to
How They Lived: The Archaeological Adventures of Avraham Faust
The evidence of the collapsed dwelling’s grandeur made its destruction all the more dramatic. Devastated during the invasion of the Kingdom of Judah
Injecting Jewish Sources into Modern Classical Music
The next time you listen to a classical music piece by Israeli composer and Bar-Ilan Professor of Music Betty Olivero, you might detect an “echo” of Jewish tradition – maybe a little Klezmer or a cantor performing snippets of Kol Nidre. That’s because Olivero, whose compositions are performed all over the world, specializes in integrating Jewish music into her work. Through it, she creates a powerful symphonic "mash-up." Full Article>>
Resonating Far and Wide: An Historical Quest to Illuminate Poland's Jewish Past
For over three decades, BIU Jewish History Prof. Moshe Rosman has frequented Eastern European archives in his quest for old records and documents that shed light on Jewish life in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569-1795). As a combined Fulbright and IREX fellow, he became the first Jewish scholar focused on a Jewish topic to be admitted into Poland after World War II. Full Article>>
Who Held the Handaxe?
Traditionally, archaeologists’ education was confined to the field of humanities, and didn’t include techniques drawn from the natural and exact sciences. But more recently, tremendous advances in dating methods – such as radioisotope carbon-14 – along with the development of sophisticated analytical tools, have significantly accelerated archaeologists’ skills. Full Article>>
Drama and Literature as a Healing Tool
“A child’s play is a mirror of all that happens to him,” elucidates Dr. Susana Pendzik, Coordinator of Bar-Ilan’s pioneering MA Program, Drama and Literature as a Healing Tool, in the Department of Comparative Literature. “When you help an individual to get unstuck, the possibility that he or she will be able to do this in real life is more realistic,” she notes. Full Article>>
Nitzotzot Program
True to its name, a pathblazing BIU initiative, Nitzotzot (Hebrew for "sparks") – The Presidential Forum for Torah and Science Innovations is sparking growing interest and dialogue throughout the academic community. Full Article>>
BIU Archaeologists Find Large Treasure of Ancient Coins
Israeli archaeologists unveiled never-before seen historical artifacts from a recent discovery of a Judean Hills cave used by Jewish refugees during the Bar Kokhba rebellion in 132-35 CE, reported The Jerusalem Post recently.
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Making Room for Women in the Orthodox Religious Hierarchy
One of the biggest challenges facing Orthodox Jewish communities is rarely spoken about publicly, wrote Prof. Elisheva Baumgarten, of BIU’s
