Jewish Professors and Antisemitism in the New Testament & Christian Origins Classroom

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

As New Testament scholars, we are trained to expect ahistorical, anti-Jewish, antisemitic, and Christian-centric interpretations of the New Testament. Rarely, however, are we trained to consider pedagogical tools for combatting antisemitism in the classroom. Our roundtable will explore the struggles, tips, and resources of Jewish professors who teach New Testament and Christian origins. Participants will discuss the following questions:

1. In what ways have you experienced explicit or latent antisemitism while teaching the New Testament? How did you navigate it? What has worked well and what has fallen flat?
2. How did you navigate these experiences in and outside of the classroom?
3. What kinds of support (or not) have you received? What would be helpful?

Sarah Emanuel is Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Loyola Marymount University, a Catholic research institution, where she is in the process of tenure review. She has previously worked at secular, Catholic, and Methodist institutions. She has experienced more anti-Judaism from students at LMU than at any other institution; the only institution at which she has let her students know her Jewish identity.

Daniel Picus is an assistant professor of Biblical Studies and the Ancient at Western Washington University, a public. He previously taught at Carleton College, and received a PhD from Brown University. He teaches a mixed population of students, many of whom have very little knowledge of Judaism prior to his courses.

Claudia Setzer taught New Testament at a Catholic college in the Bronx for 34 years. The tenor of the department was inclusive, affected by Nostra Aetate and post-Vatican II work on Catholic-Jewish relations. The students, however, revealed that their elementary and high school training did not often take into account the church's revised teaching on Jews and Judaism.

Shayna Sheinfeld assistant professor of Sacred Texts at Augsburg University, an ELCA school. She has worked in numerous term positions, all at SLACs. She has experienced latent and explicit antisemitism from both students and administration throughout her career.

Moderator: Esther Brownsmith teaches at a Catholic university in the Midwest, where most students have had little prior contact with Jews or Judaism.

Sub Unit

• Pedagogy & Professional Practice

Moderator

• Caryn Tamber-Rosenau, University of Houston

Discussants

• Shayna Sheinfeld, Augsburg University

• Sarah Emanuel, Loyola Marymount University

• Daniel Picus, Western Washington University

• Claudia Setzer, Manhattan College

Zoom Host

• Zoom Host 11