ChaeRan Freeze

ChaeRan Freeze holds the Frances and Max Elkon Chair in Modern Jewish History at Brandeis University, with primary appointments in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and affiliations in the Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature and the Department of History.

Education:

• Ph.D., Brandeis University
• M.A., Brandeis University
• B.A., University of California, Irvine

As a leading Russian-Jewish historian, Dr. Freeze's research interrogates gender dynamics, family structures, sexuality, radical political movements, and quotidian experiences within Imperial Russian Jewish communities. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges Jewish Studies, Gender History, and Slavic Studies, revealing how marginalized groups navigated societal constraints through everyday resistance and cultural adaptation.

Scientific Awards:

• Harry Starr Fellowship, Harvard University (1996-1997)
• Michael L. Walzer Award for Teaching, Brandeis University (2001-2002)
• Salo W. Baron Prize for the best first book in Jewish Studies, American Academy for Jewish Research (2002)
• Bernstein Faculty Fellowship, Brandeis University (2002-2003)
• Alan M. Stroock Fellow For Advanced Research in Jewish Studies, Harvard University (2007)
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Mentoring Award, Brandeis University (2013)

Dr. Freeze has directed major research initiatives including the National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Grant for "Everyday Jewish Life in Imperial Russia" (1996-2007) and consecutive Mellon Sawyer Seminar Grants (2022-2025) on "Imperiled Bodies: Slavery, Colonialism, Citizenship, and the Logics of Gender-Based Violence." Her sustained funding success reflects scholarly leadership in examining intersectional violence through historical frameworks, complemented by award-winning pedagogy and graduate mentorship.