معرفی
Justin Jaron Lewis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religion within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba. Originally from Winnipeg where he has resided since 2008, he teaches courses including Religion and Sexuality, Introduction to Judaism, Hebrew Bible, Storytelling and Religion, Atheism, and Kabbalah: Magic, Mythology, Mysticism. He is currently accepting both Master's and PhD students.
Education:
- Maggid (Jewish storytelling and teaching), Jewish Spirit Maggid Training Program, 2010
- PhD (Post-Biblical Hebrew Language and Literature), University of Toronto, 2003
- Rabbi (Judaism and pastoral training), Academy for Jewish Religion (New York), 2001
Lewis's research centers on storytelling, particularly in Hasidic Judaism, with additional interests in Winnipeg's Jewish history, religion and gender/sexuality, Yeshayahu Leibowitz's religious thought, and Hinduism-Judaism comparative studies. His methodology emphasizes stories themselves rather than theoretical frameworks, subscribing to Wendy Doniger's teaching that stories are best understood through other stories. He approaches his research collaboratively, learning from students and welcoming them as research partners.
His publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on Jewish mystical traditions, particularly Hasidic storytelling and Kabbalah. Recent works explore gender transformations in divine imagery, the intersections between rationalist Jewish thought and mystical traditions, and the preservation of Yiddish-language Hasidic narratives. His scholarship often juxtaposes unexpected images and ideas, such as comparing feminine divine imagery in Kabbalah with Indian ritual theatre.
As an educator and community member, Lewis maintains strong connections with Winnipeg's Jewish community. His outreach includes storytelling and Jewish teaching in congregations, Jewish events, and interfaith gatherings. He is currently cataloguing and studying the book collection of Chevra Mishnayes synagogue in Winnipeg, once a center of Jewish study. His ongoing Winnipeg Jewish Renewal Oral History Project documents Rabbi Zalman Schachter's years in Winnipeg (1956-1975), interviewing those who knew this founding figure of the Jewish Renewal Movement during his time in the city.
