Scholarship and Biography

Jonathan Decter is the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies. His research interests include Jews in the Islamic World, Jews in Medieval Spain, Judeo-Arabic Studies, Medieval Hebrew and Arabic Literature, and Jewish Thought.

Honors

Jewish Studies Publication Award
Koret Foundation (United States, San Francisco), 2005
Center for Advanced Jewish Studies Fellowship
University of Pennsylvania (United States, Philadelphia), 2005 - 2007
Salo W. Baron Prize for outstanding first book in Jewish Studies
American Academy for Jewish Research (United States, Ann Arbor) - AAJR, 2008
Hirschfeld Presidential Visiting Scholar, Brown University
Brown University (United States, Providence), 2018
Honorary Starr Fellow in Judaic Studies,
Harvard University (United States, Cambridge), 2018
Jordan Schnitzer Book Award Finalist
Association for Jewish Studies (United States, New York) - AJS, 2019
National Jewish Book Award in Sephardic Culture
Jewish Book Council, 2019
Awarded for Spring, 2019
American Council of Learned Societies (United States, New York) - ACLS, 2019
Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations
Boston College (United States, Boston) - BC, 2023-2024
Gerard Weinstock Visiting Professor in Jewish Studies
Harvard University (United States, Cambridge), 2024-2025

Organizational Affiliations

Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University

Affiliated Faculty, Interdepartmental Program in Comparative Literature and Culture, Brandeis University

Affiliated Faculty, Interdepartmental Program in Religious Studies, Brandeis University

Affiliated Faculty, Interdepartmental Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Brandeis University

Education

Jewish Theological Seminary
Ph.D.
Jewish Theological Seminary
M.Phil.