Rabbis of Early Modernity

The rabbis that shaped Jewish history | lecture series

Stanley Mirvis
Harold and Jean Grossman Chair in Jewish Studies
Arizona State University

February 3 | 7 p.m.

Explore the crisis of Rabbinic authority at the dawn of modernity in Italy, Western Europe, and the Ottoman Empire, focusing on the challenges to rabbinic authority from new forms of mysticism, messianism, and rationalism. Learn about the roles of figures like Samuel de Medina, Leone Modena, Menasseh ben Israel, Ya‘akov Emden, and Hayim Yosef David Azulai.

The rabbis that shaped Jewish history

This three-part lecture series will explore the role of rabbis in Jewish history from late antiquity until the dawn of the modern age; carve out definitions of rabbis and rabbinic culture; and assess the cultural contributions of individual rabbis through the ages.