Emma Polyakov

Dr. Emma Polyakov is an Associate Professor at Merrimack College, specializing in contemporary interreligious relations with a focus on Jewish-Christian dynamics. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish-Christian Comparative Theology from Boston College, an M.T.S. in Religion and Conflict Transformation from Boston University, and a B.A. from Bard College.

Her research explores intersections of ritual studies, Israel studies, and memory/place studies. Key themes include the role of liturgy in shaping religious identity, the theological implications of sacred spaces like Jerusalem, and the challenges of interfaith dialogue in conflict zones. She has authored books such as The Nun in the Synagogue (2020) and edited volumes on antisemitism and eschatological visions of Jerusalem.

Her peer-reviewed work spans journals like Harvard Theological Review, Religions, and Journal of Ritual Studies, consistently addressing how religious practices and spatial imaginaries construct communal identities. Ongoing projects include a book manuscript on memory and the Holy Land.

Her scholarship bridges academic theology with practical interreligious engagement, often analyzing how ritual performance and sacred time/space mediate theological understandings between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.