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Reuven Firestone, Rabbi, Ph.D.
Professor of Medieval Jewish Studies
Rabbi Firestone is Professor of Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies, HUC-JIR/Los Angeles. He served for eight years as Director of HUC-JIR's Edgar F. Magnin School of Graduate Studies and the Jerome Louchheim School of Undergraduate Jewish Studies at the University of Southern California, which offers degrees in cooperation with HUC-JIR. Prior to joining the HUC-JIR faculty, he taught at Boston University and was Yad Hanadiv Research Fellow at the Hebrew University. He received a Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) III research fellowship for the Spring 2006 semester for study at the American University of Cairo, funded by the Fulbright Binational Committee in Egypt and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2000, Professor Firestone was awarded a fellowship for independent research from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was chosen to be a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. His specialties are early Islam and its relationship with Jews and Judaism, scriptural interpretation of the Bible and Qur'an, and the phenomenon of holy war.
Click here for Reuven's complete curriculum vitae (PDF format)
Areas of Expertise
- Early Islam and its relationship with Jews and Judaism
- Scriptural interpretation of the Bible and Qur'an
- The phenomenon of holy war
- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- Jihad: its meaning, historical application, and influences on the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli conflict
- Inter-religious Polemic
Education
- Ph.D. 1988 New York University, Near East. Langs. & Lits. Islam, Arabic Lit.
- Rabbinic Ordination 1982 HUC-JIR, Bible, Rabbinics
- M.A. 1980 HUC-JIR, Hebrew Lit., History
- B.A. 1974 Antioch College, Sociology/Anthropolgy (Middle East area studies)
- 1972-73 Hebrew University in Jerusalem
Professional Experience
- Professor, Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, CA
(1997 present)
- Associate Professor, Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, Ca
(1993 1997)
- Assistant Professor, Hebrew Language and Literature, director of Hebrew and Arabic programs, Boston University, Boston, MA. (1987
92)
- Academic Director: Boston University Study Abroad at the University of Haifa, Israel (1988 1992)
- Visiting Scholar, Lotan Summer Series in Jewish Studies. Kibbutz Lotan, Israel (1988, 1996, 1998, 1999)
- Lecturer, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, Drew University, Madison, NJ. (1986 87)
- Lecturer, Biblical Hebrew, Babylonian Aramaic, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, NY. (1985 87)
- Director, College Education Department, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York, NY (1982 1986)
Administrative
- Director, Jerome Louchheim School of Undergraduate Jewish Studies at the University of Southern California (1997 2005)
- Director, Edgar J. Magnin School of Graduate Studies, Hebrew Union College (1997 2005)
Fellowships and Honors
- 2006: CASA III Fellowship at the American University in Cairo, funded by the Fulbright
Binational Committee in Egypt and the U.S. Department of Education
- 2001-02: Center for Advanced Judaic Studies Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania
(declined for health reasons)
- 2000 01: National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship
- 1992 93: Yad Hanadiv/Barecha Research Fellowship at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Recent Books
- Who is the Real Chosen People, Skylight Paths (forthcoming 2009).
- An Introduction to Islam for Jews, Jewish Publication Society, 2008. (order
online from amazon.com)
- Jews, Christians, Muslims in Dialogue: A Practical Handbook, with Leornard Swidler and
Khalid Duran. White Cloud Press, 2007.
- Jews, Christians, Muslims in Dialogue: A Practical Handbook, with Leornard Swidler and Khalid Duran. White Cloud
Press, 2007.
- Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims New York: Ktav, 2001. (translated into Turkish,
2004, Arabic translation in process). (order online from amazon.com)
- Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. (Indonesian translation in process).
(order online from
amazon.com)
- Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis Albany, NY: State University
of New York Press, 1990. (order online from
amazon.com)
Lecture Titles
- Whose Jerusalem? The Holy City in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
- Who are the Real "Chosen People"?
- Divine Authority and Mass Violence: Holy War in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
- What Does Islam Really Say About Jews and Judaism? A study of the classic texts.
- How Do We See Each Other? Classic and contemporary views of Jews and Muslims toward the other.
- Muhammad, the Qur'an, and the Question of Judaism.
- The Qur'an and the Bible: Scripture and Interpretation in Islam.
- Abraham: The First Jew, Christian or Muslim? A comparative study of the
patriarch from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Electronic Publications
- Religions Hold Mix of Justice and Mercy - The
Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, op-ed section, January 2, 2004
- What Made Saddam Run? - The Jewish Journal of Los
Angeles, Op Ed section, December 19, 2003
- 'Leasing' of Peace Could Be Best Move - The
Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, May 9, 2003
- Athens and Baghdad - The Jewish Journal of
Los Angeles, April 25, 2003
- Rome and Baghdad - The Jewish Journal of Los
Angeles, April 11, 2003
- Islam is the Answer - The Jewish Journal of Los
Angeles, December 14, 2001
- Islam Hijacked - The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles,
September 28, 2001
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