Dr. Miriam Goldstein of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard Center for Jewish Studies teaches this workshop-lecture, in which we will get a taste of of the revolutionary innovations in Jewish literature that occurred during the critical era of Rabbinic Judaism between the sixth and eleventh centuries. During this period, Arabic was the native language of the vast majority of the Jewish population, and Arabic was without a doubt the language of choice for Jewish authors! Includes havruta study of sources translated from Judeo-Arabic.

Open to all learning levels.

Miriam Goldstein was trained at Harvard, Cambridge and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This year she is Gerard Weinstock Visiting Professor at the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies. A specialist in medieval Judeo-Arabic texts, Goldstein focuses on interreligious relations in the medieval Arabic-speaking world as well as Judeo-Arabic Bible exegesis. Her most recent book is A Judeo-Arabic Parody of the Life of Jesus: The Toledot Yeshu Helene Narrative (Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck) and her current project is a critical edition and translation of the Judeo-Arabic Torah commentary of the tenth-century Karaite scholar Ya‘qub al-Qirqisani. Miriam is a former triathlete and a fervent believer in sustainability and living lightly on the planet, and, when in Jerusalem, bikes daily to work at Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem.