معرفی
Joan S. Friedman is the Lincoln Professor of Religion and Professor of History at The College of Wooster, with a focus on Middle Eastern and North African Studies. She holds dual appointments in the Departments of Religion and History, and her work bridges Jewish law, American Judaism, and Holocaust studies.
- B.A., University of Pennsylvania (1974)
- M.A.H.L., Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (1977)
- M.Phil., Columbia University (1986)
- Ph.D., Columbia University (2003)
Her research explores American Judaism, Jewish law, and popular culture, with publications analyzing Reform Jewish ritual practices and historical satirical depictions of rabbis. She chairs the Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Committee, shaping contemporary Jewish legal decisions.
Recent publications focus on postwar Reform Judaism, rabbinical ethics, and the intersection of religious authority with dissent. Her work connects historical analysis to modern religious practice, emphasizing cultural continuity and conflict.
- National Jewish Book Award Finalist (2013), for 'Guidance, Not Governance': Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof and Reform Responsa
She teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible, Jewish history, the Holocaust, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. As a member of multiple professional organizations—including the Association for Jewish Studies and American Historical Association—she contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship. Her responsa committee role impacts Reform Judaism across North America.
