Jonathan Sarna

Jonathan Sarna
U.S. National Archives · Public domain · source
Name	Jonathan Sarna
Birth date	1955
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation	Historian, author, professor
Alma mater	Brandeis University, Columbia University
Employer	Brandeis University
Notable works	"American Judaism: A History", "The Debate over Zionism"

Jonathan Sarna is an American historian specializing in the history of American Jews, American Judaism, and Jewish history in the United States. He is a longstanding professor at Brandeis University and has held leadership roles in organizations such as the American Academy for Jewish Research and the Association for Jewish Studies. His scholarship engages themes related to Zionism, religious reform movements, and transatlantic connections among Jewish communities.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Sarna grew up in a milieu influenced by institutions like Hebrew College and regional congregations such as Temple Israel (Boston). He completed undergraduate studies at Brandeis University and pursued graduate work at Columbia University under scholars connected to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During his formative years he was exposed to archival collections at institutions such as the American Jewish Archives and the New York Public Library.

Academic career

Sarna joined the faculty of Brandeis University where he has taught in departments and programs affiliated with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and the Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership. He has served as president of the Association for Jewish Studies and held fellowships at centers including the Institute for Advanced Study and the Harvard Divinity School. He participated in collaborative projects with the Jewish Publication Society, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the Library of Congress and has been a visiting professor at institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Major works and scholarship

Sarna is author and editor of books and articles that engage subjects ranging from colonial-era communities to modern movements. His book "American Judaism: A History" synthesizes material related to figures like Abraham Joshua Heschel, Emma Lazarus, Isaac Mayer Wise, Moses Mendelssohn, and institutions such as Reconstructionist Judaism and the Union for Reform Judaism. He edited volumes on Zionism and the American response to Theodor Herzl as well as collections addressing the Jewish Enlightenment and the impact of events like the Dreyfus Affair on American opinion. Sarna’s scholarship deploys archival sources from the Yivo Archives, the National Archives and Records Administration, and congregational records from locations including New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston, South Carolina. He has published in journals such as the Jewish Social Studies, AJS Review, and The American Jewish Archives Journal and contributed essays to encyclopedias like the Encyclopaedia Judaica and reference works produced by the Oxford University Press.

Public engagement and media appearances

Sarna has been an active public intellectual, appearing on broadcast outlets including National Public Radio, PBS, and C-SPAN to discuss topics involving American Jewish history, Israel–United States relations, and commemorations like Yom Kippur and Passover. He has lectured at cultural institutions such as the American Jewish Historical Society, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Skirball Cultural Center and delivered keynote addresses at conferences organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the AIPAC Policy Conference. Sarna has also consulted for documentary projects produced by organizations like PBS Frontline and participated in symposia at universities including Yale University and Princeton University.

Awards and honors

Sarna’s work has been recognized with prizes and fellowships from entities such as the National Jewish Book Award, the Guggenheim Foundation, and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has been named a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research and received honors from societies including the American Historical Association and the Association for Jewish Studies. His books have won accolades from the Jewish Book Council and received commendations from editorial boards at presses like the Harvard University Press and the Oxford University Press.

Personal life and legacy

Sarna is part of a scholarly family network that includes colleagues at Brandeis University, collaborators at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and students who have gone on to positions at institutions such as Columbia University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Michigan. His influence is visible in curricular developments at seminaries like Hebrew Union College and in public commemorations held at synagogues across Boston, New York City, and Chicago. As a historian he has contributed to shaping public and academic understandings of American Jewish identity alongside figures such as Jacob Rader Marcus, Hasia Diner, and Morris B. Abram.

Category:Living people Category:Historians of Judaism Category:Brandeis University faculty