Ephraim Kanarfogel
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Kanarfogel is a professor and dean at Yeshiva University
and one of the foremost experts in the fields of medieval Jewish history
and rabbinic literature
, as well as an ordained rabbi and Torah
scholar.
for high school, and earned his BA from Yeshiva College and both an MA and PhD from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
. Kanarfogel also received rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
(an affiliate of the university), in one of the last classes taught directly by Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik.
, New York, Kanarfogel practiced as a pulpit rabbi for Congregation Beth Aaron, then a growing, youthful synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey
, from 1984 to 2003. In 1979, Kanarfogel began teaching at the university, and was soon recognized as the E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva's Stern College for Women
. In 1984, he became the head of the Jewish Studies program at Stern and was later appointed chairman of the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies and director of the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) at Yeshiva University. Today, he also teaches classes at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
Kanarfogel has authored or edited five books and published more than 50 articles and reviews. Some of his works have been translated to Hebrew.
, and in his youth was a star lefty softball pitcher at Camp Massad
.
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
and one of the foremost experts in the fields of medieval Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
and rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
, as well as an ordained rabbi and Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
scholar.
Education
Nearly all of Kanarfogel’s formal education took place at Yeshiva University: He attended Yeshiva U's Marsha Stern Talmudical AcademyMarsha Stern Talmudical Academy
The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys , MTA or TMSTA , is an Orthodox Jewish day school , the boys' high school of Yeshiva University in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-History:The Talmudical...
for high school, and earned his BA from Yeshiva College and both an MA and PhD from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies was Yeshiva University’s first graduate school. Founded in 1937, it was named for Yeshiva University's first president, Bernard Revel...
. Kanarfogel also received rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
(an affiliate of the university), in one of the last classes taught directly by Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik.
Career
A native of White PlainsWhite Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, New York, Kanarfogel practiced as a pulpit rabbi for Congregation Beth Aaron, then a growing, youthful synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, from 1984 to 2003. In 1979, Kanarfogel began teaching at the university, and was soon recognized as the E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva's Stern College for Women
Stern College for Women
Stern College for Women is the undergraduate women's college of arts and sciences at Yeshiva University. It is located at Yeshiva University's Israel Henry Beren Campus in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan....
. In 1984, he became the head of the Jewish Studies program at Stern and was later appointed chairman of the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies and director of the Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) at Yeshiva University. Today, he also teaches classes at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
Kanarfogel has authored or edited five books and published more than 50 articles and reviews. Some of his works have been translated to Hebrew.
Awards
In 2002, Kanarfogel became the first person to win Yeshiva University’s Samuel Belkin Literary Award on multiple occasions. He was also awarded the National Jewish Book award for his first book.Personal
Kanarfogel currently resides in Teaneck, New Jersey. He and his wife, optometrist Dr. Devorah Kanarfogel, have six children and six grandchildren. Kanarfogel plays the piano/keyboard, is an avid rail fanRailfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
, and in his youth was a star lefty softball pitcher at Camp Massad
Camp Massad (Poconos)
Camp Massad was a Jewish summer camp, which originated as a day camp in 1941 with 30 campers, and eventually grew to three sleep-away camps in the Pennsylvania Poconos serving over 1100 campers. Massad's creator, Shlomo Shulsinger, emphasized Hebrew language as a key value in a...
.
Authored Books
- Jewish education and society in the High Middle Ages. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1992. (A Hebrew translation of this book, by Ruti Bar-Ilan, was published by the Kibbutz Ha-Me'uchad Press in 2003.)
- Peering through the lattices: mystical, magical, and pietistic dimensions in the Tosafist period. Detroit : Wayne State University Press, c2000. In this volume he disputes classically accepted views held about the TosafistsTosafistsTosafists were medieval rabbis from France and Germany who are among those known in Talmudical scholarship as Rishonim who created critical and explanatory glosses on the Talmud. These were collectively called Tosafot , because they were additions on the commentary of Rashi...
, and shows that many were interested in mysticism. (A Hebrew translation of this book, by Ruti Bar-Ilan, was published by Merkaz Shazar in 2011.)
Edited Books
- Between Rashi and Mainmonides: Studies in Medieval Jewish Thought, Literature, and Exegesis. New York : Ktav, 2010.