About
Prof. Laura Lieber is a leading scholar of late antique Jewish liturgical poetry and religious history, currently holding the Chair of Transregional Religious History at the University of Regensburg. She previously served as Professor of Late Ancient Judaism at Duke University (2016–2024), where she also held administrative roles including Department Chair of Religious Studies (2023–present) and Director of the Duke Center for Jewish Studies (2015–present). Her research focuses on synagogue poetry (piyyut), comparative hymnography, and the intersection of performance studies with liturgical texts. She has published extensively on Byzantine liturgical poetry, material culture's role in religious expression, and the historical context of Jewish liturgical practices.
Lieber earned her Ph.D. in History of Judaism from the University of Chicago (2003) and holds rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (1999). She has held fellowships from ACLS, the National Humanities Center, and the University of Erfurt's Max Weber Kolleg. Her work bridges Jewish and Christian liturgical traditions, emphasizing performance and ritual as foundational to religious identity.
Key contributions include Staging the Sacred (2023), analyzing performance elements in late antique hymns, and Jewish Aramaic Poetry from Late Antiquity (2018), which offers critical translations and commentary. She has edited volumes on materiality in late antiquity and served on editorial boards for journals like Hebrew Studies. Her awards include the Simon Lazarus Memorial Prize (1999) and the Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Fellowship (1994).
Lieber is actively involved in rabbinical leadership, including serving as High Holiday Rabbi for Duke Hillel and mentoring programs through the HUC-JIR/CCAR Commission. Her research integrates interdisciplinary methodologies, examining how liturgical texts reflect socio-cultural dynamics and theological debates in their historical contexts.
