Personal Details:

Name: Daniel J. Lasker

Date and Place of Birth: April 5, 1949; Flint, Michigan, USA.

Family status: Married, five children.

Home address:

8 Shivta Street, Shekhunah Tet, Beer Sheva, Israel. Tel: 972-8-642-1876.

Work address:

Department of Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653,

Beer Sheva, Israel. Tel: 972-8-647-2519; 972-8-646-1142.

E-Mail: lasker@bgumail.bgu.ac.il

Fax: 972-8-647-2820.

Present Position: Norbert Blechner Professor of Jewish Values.

Education:

Degrees: B.A.:1967-1971, Brandeis University; Department of Philosophy,
Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
M.A.:1970-1971, Brandeis University; Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
Ph.D.:1972-l976, Brandeis University; Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
Dissertation Title: Jewish Philosophical Polemics Against Christianity in the
Middle Ages. Advisor: Prof. Alexander Altmann.

Other Professional Courses:
Jewish Theological Seminary College, 1966-1967.
Hebrew University, l969-70, One Year Study Program;
1971-72, Visiting Research Student.

Honors and Fellowships Awarded During Studies:
B.A., Summa Cum Laude.
Undergraduate Honors in Philosophy.
Undergraduate Honors in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
Henrietta and David Chassler Prize in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, 1969.
Phi Beta Kappa, 1971.
B'nai Zion, American Fraternal Zionist Organization Hebrew Award,1971.
Abram L. Sachar International Fellowship, 1971-1972.
Dissertation Fellowship, National Foundation for Jewish Culture, 1973-1974.
Dissertation Fellowship, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, 1973-1974.

Employment History:

1972-1973 Brandeis University, Teaching Assistant.
1973-1976 Kirkland College, Instructor/Assistant Professor of Judaica.
1974-1975 Academy for Jewish Studies Without Walls, Instructor.
1976-1977 Ohio State University, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy.
1977-1978 University of Texas, Assistant Professor of Hebrew.
1978-1981 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Lecturer in Jewish Thought.
1981-1988 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Senior Lecturer in Jewish Thought
(tenure received, 1982).
1983-1984 University of Toronto, Visiting Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies.
1988-1996 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Associate Professor of Jewish Thought.
1990-1992 Gratz College, Visiting Professor (Summer School).
1990-1991 Yeshiva University, Visiting Professor of Jewish Thought (Andrew N. and
Rose Miller Chair in the History of Zionism and Modern Israel; Rabbi
Arthur D. Kahn Chair in Hebrew Literature).
Princeton University, Visiting Professor of Religion.
1994, 2002 Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, Visiting Professor (Summer
School).
1995-1997 Advisor, Jewish Studies Program, Ahva Regional Teachers’ Seminary.
1996- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Professor of Jewish Thought.
1996 Advisor, Jewish Studies Program, Kaye Teachers’ Seminary.
1997 Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Professor, Yale University.
1998 Stroum Visiting Professor, University of Washington.
2004 Dean Ernest Schwarcz Eminent Visiting Professor of Jewish Philosophy,
Queens College

Research Grants:

Huber Foundation Research Grants, 1974-1975.
Ben-Gurion University, Humanities Faculty Special Research Grant, 1987.
Publication Grants, American Academy for Jewish Research, 1988, 1995.
Research Grants, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, 1988, 1993.
Fellow, Annenberg Research Institute, 1989-1990.
Recipient, Phillips Research Fellowship at the Hill Monastic Manuscript
Library, St. John's College, 1990.
Guest Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, 1992-1993; 1995.
Research Grant, Ben-Zvi Institute, 1993.
Publication Grant, Humanities Faculty of Ben-Gurion University, 1995.
Publication Grant, Lucius Littauer Foundation, 1995.
Member, Research Team of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas,
Supported by Government of Spain, 1996.

Areas of Research and Instruction:

Medieval Jewish Philosophy.
Jewish-Christian Relations.
Karaism.
Jewish Religion and Thought.
Jewish Law and Modern Medicine.

Professional Activities:

Academic Administration:
1981 - 1983, 1987 - 1989 Departmental committee for the M.A. program and advisor to M.A.
students in Jewish Thought.
1982 - 1983, 1991- 1995 Member, Faculty Research Committee.
1985 - 1987, 1991-1994 Head, Jewish Thought Division, Department of History.
1985 - 1987 Member, Faculty Planning Committee (Chairman, 1986 - 1987).
1988 - 1989 Member, Faculty M.A. Committee.
1988 - 1989 Representative of Humanities Faculty to Faculty of Technology.
1989 Member, Rector's Committee to Study Status of “English as a
Foreign Language Unit.”
1990 - 1995 Member, Advisory Committee of the Ongoing Workshops in Jewish Philosophy
of the International Center for the University Teaching of Jewish Civilization.
1991 - 1993 Chairman, Dean’s Committee on Relations with Yeshivat Ha-Kibbutz Ha-Dati.
1991 - 1993 Member, Department of History Space Committee
1992 - 1997 Head, General Studies B.A. Program
1993 Member, Faculty Committee on Structure (Strategic Planning Committees).
1994 -1995, 1997 Member, Department of History Appointments Committee.
1994 -1995, 1999 Member, Ladislaus Laszt Humanitarian Award Committee.
1995 Member, Council for Higher Education Committee to Evaluate Touro College.
1995, 1999 Member, Ben-Zvi Prize Award Committee.
1995 - 1997 Member, Steering Committee of the National Center for Teacher
Enrichment in Jewish Studies.
1995 - 1997 Member, Faculty of Humanities Appeals Committee.
1997 Member, Kreitman Fellowships Committee.
1999 - Member, Faculty of Humanities Appointments Committee.
2000 - Member, Executive Committee, Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish
Thought.
2000 - Chair, Department of Jewish Thought Graduate Studies Committee.
2002 Member, Professional Committee for Grants, Israel Science Foundation.

Memberships in Professional Organizations:
Association for Jewish Studies.
World Union of Jewish Studies.
Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies (Board Member, 1997- ).
Corresponding Fellow, Academy for Jewish Philosophy.
Associate Member, European Association for Jewish Studies.
Société internationale pour l’étude de la philosophie médiévale.

Organization of International Academic Conferences (selection):
“Judaism and Islam: Cultural and Social Contacts,” Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev, Beer Sheva, June 9, 1993.
“The Jewish Presence in Europe: The Prague Experience,” in conjunction with
UCLA and Charles University, Prague, July 13-15, 1993.
“Crusades and Crusaders,” in conjunction with UCLA and Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, June 17-19, 1996.
“Judaism and the World: Interaction, Influence and Impact,” Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev, May 29-31, 2000.
“Jewish Philosophy in Medieval Provence,” Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, March 18,
2001.
“Spiritual and Material Aspects of Judaeo-Arabic Culture in the Middlle Ages,” Tenth
International Conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies, Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev, Aug. 6-9, 2001.

Scientific Publications:

Books:

1. Jewish Philosophical Polemics Against Christianity in the Middle Ages, New
York: Ktav Publishing House, 1977.
2. Hasdai Crescas' Bittul Iqqarei Ha-Nozrim, Ramat Gan and Beer Sheva: Bar-Ilan
University Press and Ben-Gurion University Press, 1990 ; second printing, 2002
(Hebrew).
3. The Refutation of the Christian Principles by Hasdai Crescas, Albany: SUNY- Albany
Press, 1992.
4. (With Sarah Stroumsa), The Polemic of Nestor the Priest, 2 vols., Jerusalem:
Ben-Zvi Institute, 1996.
4a. (With Sarah Stroumsa), El Libro de Néstor el Sacerdote, Madrid: Aben Ezra Ediciones,
1998 (partial translation of 4).

Research Articles:

1. “Averroistic Trends in Jewish-Christian Polemics in the Late Middle Ages,” Speculum,
55:2 (1980): 294-304.
2. “Joseph Albo's Theory of Verification,” Daat, 5 (Summer, 1980): 5-12 (Hebrew).
3. “Rabbinism and Karaism: The Contest for Supremacy,” in R.Jospe and S.M. Wagner,
Great Schisms in Jewish History, New York, 1981, pp.47-72
4. “The Jewish Philosophical Critique of Transubstantiation,” in J. Reinharz and D.
Swetchinski, eds., Mystics, Philosophers, and Politicians: Essays in Jewish Intellectual
History in Honor of Alexander Altmann, Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 1982,
pp. 99-118.
5. “Gersonides on Astrology, Divination, and Dreams,” in Proceedings, Eighth
World Congress of Jewish Studies, Division C , World Union of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, 1982, pp. 47-52.
6. “Maimonides' Influence on the Philosophy of Elijah Bashyazi the Karaite,” Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought, 3:3 (l983-84): 405-425 (Hebrew).
7. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “The Jewish Prayer for Rain in Babylonia,” Journal for
the Study of Judaism, 15 (1984): 124-144.
8. “The Destiny of Man in Karaite Philosophy,” Daat, 12 (Winter, 1984): 5-13 (Hebrew).
9. “Transubstantiation, Elijah's Chair, Plato, and the Jewish-Christian Debate,” Revue des Etudes Juives, 143:1-2 (January-June, l984): 31-58.
10. “Jewish Responses to Science and Technology,” in Lehigh University Technology
Studies Resource Center, Working Paper Series, 1 (August, 1984): 65-90.
11. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “The Jewish Prayer for Rain in the Post-Talmudic Diaspora,” in AJSreview , 9:2 (Fall, l984): 141-174.
12. “Nature and Science According to Aaron ben Elijah, the Karaite,” Daat, 17 (Summer, 1986): 33-42 (Hebrew).
13. “Original Sin and its Atonement According to Hasdai Crescas,” Daat, 20
(Winter, 1988): 127-135 (Hebrew).
14. “Kabbalah, Halakhah, and Modern Medicine: The Case of Artificial Insemination,”
Modern Judaism, 8:1 (February, 1988): 1-14.
15. “The Philosophy of Judah Hadassi the Karaite,” Shlomo Pines Jubilee Volume, Vol. 1 (Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought, 7 [1988]): 477-492 (Hebrew).
16. “Definitions of 'One' and Divine Unity,” in S.O. Heller-Wilenski and M. Idel, eds.,Studies
in Jewish Thought, Jerusalem, 1989, pp. 51-61 (Hebrew).
17. “Islamic Influences on Karaite Origins,” in William M. Brinner and Stephen D. Ricks,
eds., Studies in Islamic and Judaic Traditions II, Atlanta, Georgia, 1989, pp. 23-47.
18. “Judah Halevi and Karaism,” in Jacob Neusner, Ernest S. Frerichs, and Nahum Sarna,
eds., From Ancient Israel to Modern Judaism: Intellect in Quest of Understanding:
Essays in Honor of Marvin Fox, Atlanta, Georgia, 1989, vol. 3, pp. 111-125.
19. “Maimonides' Influence on Karaite Theories of Prophecy and Law,”
Maimonidean Studies, 1 (1990): 99-115.
20. “Proselyte Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Thought of Judah Halevi,”
Jewish Quarterly Review, 81:1-2 (July-October, 1990): 75-91.
21. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “642 Parts - More Concerning the Saadia-Ben Meir Controversy,” Tarbiz, 60:1 (Oct.-Dec.,1990): 119-128 (Hebrew).
22. “The Influence of Karaism on Maimonides,” Sefunot, 20 (n.s. 5) (1991): 145-161
(Hebrew).
23. “The Jewish Critique of Christianity Under Islam in the Middle Ages,”
Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, 57 (1991): 121-153.
24. “Qissat Mujadalat al-Usquf and Nestor Ha-Komer : The Earliest Arabic and Hebrew
Jewish Anti-Christian Polemics,” in Joshua Blau and Stefan C. Reif, eds., Geniza
Research After Ninety Years: The Case of Judaeo-Arabic, Cambridge, 1992, pp. 112-
118.
25. “Karaism in Twelfth-Century Spain,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy,
1 (1992): 179-195.
26. “Aaron ben Joseph and the Transformation of Karaite Thought,” in Ruth Link-
Salinger, ed., Torah and Wisdom. Studies in Jewish Philosophy, Halakhah, and
Kabbalah. Essays in Honor of Arthur Hyman, New York, 1992, pp. 121-128.
27. “Jewish-Christian Polemics in Light of the Expulsion from Spain,” Judaism,
No. 162 (41:2; Spring, 1992): 148-155.
28. “Karaism and the Jewish-Christian Debate,” in Barry Walfish, ed., The Frank Talmage
Memorial Volume, vol. 1, Haifa, 1993, pp. 323-332.
29. “Judeo-Christian Polemics and Their Origins in Muslim Countries,” Pe'amim, 57
(1993): 4-16 (Hebrew).
30. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “More Concerning 642 Parts,” Sinai, 57:113
(Tishrei-Heshvan, 5754/1993): 90-93 (Hebrew).
31. “Against Whom Did Rav Saadia Gaon Polemicize in his Discussion Concerning
Abrogation of the Torah?” Daat , 32-33 (1994): 5-11 (Hebrew).
32. “Anti-Christian Polemics in Eighteenth-Century Italy,” in Proceedings of the
Eleventh World Congress of Jewish Studies, Division B, Vol. 1, Jerusalem,
1994, pp. 185-192 (Hebrew).
33. “Saadia on Christianity and Islam,” in Daniel Frank, ed., The Jews of Medieval Islam:
Community, Society, and Identity, Leiden, 1995, pp. 165-177.
34. “Jewish-Christian Polemics at the Turning Point: Jewish Evidence from the
Twelfth Century,” Harvard Theological Review, 89:2 (1996): 161-173.
35. “Jewish Philosophical Polemics in Ashkenaz,” in O. Limor and G. Stroumsa,
eds., Contra Iudaeos: Ancient and Medieval Polemics Between Jews and Christians,
Tübingen, 1996, pp. 195-213.
36. “‘Sefer Herev Pifiyyot’ of Saul ben Joseph Merari (?). An Italian Jewish Anti-
Christian Polemic of the Eighteenth Century,” Italia, 12 (1996): 7-35 (Hebrew section).
37. “Chasdai Crescas,” in Daniel H. Frank and Oliver Leaman, eds., History of Jewish
Philosophy (Routledge History of World Philosophies, vol. 2), London and New York,
1997, pp. 399-414.
38. “The Obligation of the ‘Parapet’ and Moral Responsibility,” in Charles H. Manekin, ed.,
Menachem M. Kellner, assoc. ed., Human Freedom and Moral Responsibility. General
and Jewish Perspectives, Bethesda, Maryland, 1997, pp.153-164.
39. “Jewish Polemics Against Christianity in Thirteenth-Century Italy,” in Yaakov Elman and
Jeffrey S. Gurock, eds., Hazon Nahum. Studies in Jewish Law, Thought and History.
Presented to Norman Lamm on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday, New York,
1997, pp. 251-263.
40. “The Impact of Christianity on Late Iberian Jewish Philosophy,” in Bernard Dov
Cooperman, ed., In Iberia and Beyond: Hispanic Jews between Cultures, Newark, Del.
and London, 1998, pp. 175-190.
41. “The Prophecy of Abraham in Karaite Thought,” in Aviezer Ravitzky, ed., Joseph
Barukh Sermoneta Memorial Volume (Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought, 14
[1998]): 103-112 (Hebrew).
42. “Polémica judeochristiana en Al-Andalus,” in Carlos del Valle Rodríguez, ed., La
Controversia judeochristiana en España (Desde los orígenes hasta el siglo XIII).
Homenaje a Domingo Muñoz León, Madrid, 1998, pp. 161-179.
43. “Teaching Christianity to Jews: The Case of Medieval Jewish Anti-Christian Polemics,”
in Haim Marantz, ed., Judaism and Education. Essays in Honor of Walter I. Ackerman,
Beer Sheva, 1998, pp. 73-86.
44. “Major Themes of the Jewish-Christian Debate: God, Humanity, Messiah,” in Dean
Phillip Bell, ed., The Solomon Goldman Lectures, Vol. 7, Chicago, 1999, pp. 107-130.
45. “Popular Polemics and Philosophical Truth in the Medieval Jewish Critique of
Christianity,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 8:2 (1999): 243-259.
46. “Maimonides’ Influence on Israeli Politics,”Tarbut Demoqeratit (Democratic Culture), 2
(1999): 101-112 (Hebrew).
47. “The Impact of the Crusades on the Jewish-Christian Debate,” Jewish History, 13:2
(Fall, 1999): 23-36.
48. “Karaism and Jewish Studies,” Shlomo Dov Goitein Memorial Lecture, Tel-Aviv, 2000.
49. “Arabic Philosophical Terms in Judah Halevi’s Kuzari,” in Joshua Blau and David Doron,
eds., Heritage and Innovation in Medieval Judaeo-Arabic Culture. Proceedings of the
Sixth Conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies , Ramat Gan, 2000, pp.
161-166 (Hebrew).
50. “Breve historia de la literatura polémica judía anticristiana,” Reseña Bíblica, 26 (Spring,
2000): 45-48.
51. “Jewish-Christian Polemics in Transition: From the Lands of Ishmael to the Lands of
Edom,” in Benjamin Hary, et al., eds.,Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Interaction, and
Communication, Leiden, 2000, pp. 53-65.
52. “Jerusalem in Later Karaite Thought,” in Ezra Fleischer, et. al., eds., Me'ah She`arim.
Studies in Medieval Jewish Spiritual Life in Memory of Isadore Twersky, Jerusalem,
2001, pp. 341-348 (Hebrew).
53. “Karaite Attitudes Towards Religion and Science,” in Gad Freudenthal, Jean-Pierre
Rothschild and Gilbert Dahan, eds., Torah et Science: Perspectives historiques et
théoriques. Études offertes á Charles Touati (Collection de la Revue des Études juives)
Paris/Louvain, 2001, pp. 119-130.
54. “The Karaite as Jewish 'Other,'” Pe'amim, 89 (Autumn, 2001): 97-106.
55. “The Dead Sea Scrolls in the Historiography and Self-Image of Contemporary Karaites,”
Dead Sea Discoveries, 9:3 (2002): 281-294.
56. “Christianity, Philosophy and Polemic in Jewish Provence,” to appear in Zion.
57. “The Canon of Medieval Jewish Philosophy,” to appear in Review of Rabbinic Judaism,
6:2.
58. “Simhah Isaac Lutzki, an Eighteenth-Century Karaite Kabbalist,” to appear in the Bracha
Sack Jubilee Volume.
59. “Byzantine Karaite Thought, 12th-16th Centuries,” to appear in Meira Polliack, ed.,
Karaite Judaism, An Introduction to the History and Literary Sources of Medieval and
Modern Karaism.
60. “Saadia’s Familiarity with Christianity,” to appear in Paul Fenton, ed.,
Proceedings, Seventh Conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies.
61. “Judah Halevi on Eschatology and Messianism,” to appear in Proceedings, Ninth
Conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies.
62. “Sub-Prophetic Inspiration in Judaeo-Arabic Philosophy,” to appear in Proceedings,
Tenth International Conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies.
63. “Karaite Leadership in Times of Crisis,” to appear in Jack Wertheimer, ed., Jewish
Religious Leadership: Image and Reality, Jewish Theological Seminary.

Articles in Non-Scientific Journals:

1. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “Birkat Hahammah: The Blessing of the Sun,”
Conservative Judaism, 34:3 (January-February, 1981): 17-28.
2. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “The Peculiarities of the Calendar,”
Jewish Spectator, 46:3 (Fall, 1981): 29-31.
3. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “The Strange Case of December 4: A Liturgical Problem,” Conservative Judaism, 38:1 (Fall, 1985): 91-99.
4. “Karaism and Jewish Pluralism,” Midstream, 33:10 (December, 1987): 25-27.
5. (With Arnold A. Lasker), “Behold, A Moon is Born! How the Jewish Calendar Works,” in Conservative Judaism, 41:4 (Summer, 1989): 5-19.
6. “Prophetical Promises of Peace and the Jewish-Christian Debate: Literal Reading
or Figurative Reading?” Al Ha-Perek, 13 (July, 1997): 166-171.

Opinion Articles:

1. “Teaching Tacamei Ha-Mikra at an Early Age,” Ten Dacat, 5:2 (Spring, 1991): 22-23.
2. “The Holocaust as Retributive Justice,” Shofar, 15:3 (Spring,1997): 97-105.
3. “Jewish Anti-Christian Polemics Through the Generations,” Pe'amim, 75 (Spring, 1998):
94-96.
4. “The Interpretation of Maimonides - Past and Present,” Alei Sefer, 19 (2001): 209-213.
5. “The Study of Jewish Philosophy in Relation to the Philosophy of Other Religions -
Reflections,” Daat, 50-52 (2003), pp. 61-71.

Encyclopedia Articles:

1. “Albo, Yosef,” The Encyclopedia of Religion, Mircia Eliade et al., eds., New York, 1987,
vol. 1, pp. 182-183.
2. “Karaites. Developments 1970-1988,” Encyclopaedia Judaica Yearbook, Jerusalem,1989, pp. 366-367.
3. “Christianity,” in Geoffrey Wigoder, ed., Encyclopedia of Judaism, New York- London, 1989, pp. 163-164.
4. “Karaism,” ibid., pp. 406-407.
5. “Khazars,” ibid., p. 414.
6. “Karaites,” in R.J. Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds., The Oxford Dictionary
of the Jewish Religion, New York-Oxford, 1997, pp. 391-392.
7. “Polemics,” ibid., pp. 538-539.
8. “Israeli, Isaac ben Solomon,” in Craig, Edward, ed., Routledge Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, London, 1998, vol. 5, pp. 32-34.
9. “Karaite Judaism,” in The Encyclopaedia of Judaism, Volume IV, Supplement I, ed.
Jacob Neusner, et al., Leiden-Boston, 2002, pp. 1807-1821.
10. “Medieval Jewish Debates with Christianity,” to appear in Ibid, Volume VI, Supplement
III, 2004.

In Memoriam:

1. “Leon Nemoy, 1901-1998” Jewish Quarterly Review, 88:3-4 (Jan.-April, 1998):
133-134.

Reviews:

1. Frank Talmage, Disputation and Dialogue, and Yehuda Shamir, Rabbi Moses Ha-Kohen of Tordesillas and his Book 'Ezer Ha-Emunah, Association for Jewish
Studies Newsletter, no. 20 (June, 1977): 22, 24.
2. Lenn E. Goodman, Rambam: Readings in the Philosophy of Moses Maimonides, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 46:1 (March, 1978): 82-83.
3. David Berger, The Jewish-Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages, Speculum, 56:3 (July, 1981): 583-585.
4. Ibid ., and Mordecai Breuer, Sefer Nizzahon Yashan, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 49:3 (September, l981): 520-521.
5. Barakat Ahmed, Muhammad and the Jews: A Reexamination,
Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 19:4 (Fall, l982): 826.
6. Hyam Maccoby, Judaism on Trial, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, (Spring,1983):
311-312.
7. Jeremy Cohen, The Friars and the Jews, Speculum, 58:3 (July, l983): 743-745.
8. Howard Joseph, et al, Truth and Compassion: Essays in Judaism and Religion
in Memory of Rabbi Dr. Solomon Frank, Studies in Religion, 13:1 (1984): 107-108.
9. Jerome Friedman, The Most Ancient Testimony, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 21:3 (Summer, 1984): 569-570.
10. J. David Bleich, Contemporary Halakhic Problems, II, Reconstructionist, 50:5 (March, l985): 29-30.
11. Joseph Monti, Who Do You Say I Am? The Christian Understanding of Christ and
Antisemitism, and Heiko A. Oberman, The Roots of Anti-Semitism: In the Age of
Renaissance and Reformation, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 22:2 (Spring, 1985): 366-367.
12. Pinchas E. Lapide, Hebrew in the Church, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 23:1 (Winter, 1986): 121-122.
13. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man , and Pinchas H. Peli, Soloveitchik on Repentance, Reconstructionist, 52:5 (March-April, 1987): 31-32.
14. Michael Corinaldi, The Personal Status of the Karaites, Zemanim, 7:25 (Spring, 1987) 109-110 (Hebrew).
15. Eugene J. Fisher, A. James Rudin, and Marc H. Tanenbaum, eds.,Twenty Years
of Jewish-Catholic Relations, and Rose Thering, Jews, Judaism, and Catholic Education, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 24:4 (Fall, 1987): 672-673.
16. Yochanan Silman, Thinker and Seer, Jewish Quarterly Review, 78:3-4 (January- April, 1988): 314-315.
17. T.A. Perry, The Moral Proverbs of Santob de Carrión, History of European
Ideas, 10:5 (May, 1989): 627-628.
18. Paul M. van Buren, A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality--Part III:
Christ in Context, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 26:2 (Spring, 1989): 362.
19. Raphael Jospe, Torah and Sophia: The Life and Thought of Shem Tov Ibn
Falaquera, Religious Studies Review, 16:2 (April, 1990): 167.
20. Georges Vajda, Al-Kitab al-Muhtawi de Yusuf al-Basir, Daat, 25 (Summer,
1990): 145-147 (partially reprinted in Bita'on Benei Miqra, 10, Feb., 1991).
21. John Edwards, The Jews in Christian Europe, 1400-1700, Journal of
Ecumenical Studies, 27:1 (Winter, 1990): 130-131.
22. Chazan, Robert, Daggers of Faith. Thirteenth Century Christian Missionizing and
Jewish Response, Jewish Quarterly Review, 81:3-4 (January-April, 1991): 464-466.
23. Sarah Stroumsa, Dawud Ibn Marwan al-Muqammis's Twenty Chapters (cIshrun
Maqala), Jewish Quarterly Review, 82 (1991): 236-237.
24. Steven Harvey, Falaquera's Epistle of the Debate, Tarbiz, 60 (1990-1991): 465-467.
25. Peter T. van Rooden, Theology, Biblical Scholarship, and Rabbinical Studies in
the Seventeenth Century: Constantijn L'Empereur (1591-1648), Professor of
Hebrew and Theology at Leiden, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 28:1 (Winter,
1991): 164-165.
26. Marvin Fox, Interpreting Maimonides: Studies in Methodology, Metaphysics, and
Moral Philosophy, International Studies in Philosophy, 24:1 (1992): 98-99.
27. Maurice-Ruben Hayoun, La Philosophie et la Théologie de Moïse de Narbonne:
(1300-1362), Jewish Quarterly Review, 82:3-4 (Jan.-April, 1992): 541-542.
28. Oliver Leaman, Moses Maimonides, Speculum, 67:2 (April, 1992): 436-438.
29. Saadia Ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi, The Book of Theodicy: Translation and
Commentary on the Book of Job, translated by Lenn E. Goodman, Journal of the
History of Philosophy, 30:4 (October, 1992): 604-605.
30. Aviezer Ravitzky, Crescas' Sermon on the Passover and Studies in his
Philosophy, Jewish Quarterly Review, 83:1-2 (July-October 1992): 226-228.
31. Amos Funkenstein, Perceptions of Jewish History from the Antiquity to the
Present, Religious Studies Review, 18:4 (October, 1992): 342.
32. Joel L. Kraemer, ed., Perspectives on Maimonides: Philosophical and Historical
Studies, History of European Ideas, 17:2/3 (1993): 365-366.
33. Gavin I. Langmuir, History, Religion, and Antisemitism and Toward a Definition
of Antisemitism, Speculum, 68:3 (July, 1993): 826-828.
34. Menachem Kellner, Maimonides on Human Perfection, International Studies in
Philosophy, 25:3 (1993): 130-131.
35. Gad Freudenthal, ed., Studies on Gersonides. A Fourteenth-century Jewish
Philosopher Scientist, Religious Studies Review, 20:2 (April, 1994): 161.
36. Kenneth R. Stow, Alientated Minority, Journal of Jewish Studies, 45:2 (Autumn,
1994): 313-314.
37. Robert L. Wilken, The Land Called Holy, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 31:3-4
(Summer-Fall, 1994): 392.
38. Joseph Shatzmiller, La Deuxième controverse de Paris. Un chapitre dans la polémique
entre chrétiens et juifs au Moyen Age, Kiryat Sefer, 65:3 (1994-1996): 699-700.
39. Eli Yassif, Sippur Ha-Am Ha-Ivri, Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, 18 (1996):
127-134.
40. Samuel Krauss, The Jewish-Christian Controversy from the earliest times to 1789, ed.
and revised by William Horbury, Journal of Jewish Studies, 48:1 (Spring, 1997):
163-165.
41. Michael Schwarz, trans., Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed, Jewish Studies, 37
(1997): 267-271.
42. Steven M. Wasserstrom, Between Muslim and Jew. The Problem of Symbiosis under
Early Islam, AVAR ve’ATID, vol 4, no. 1 (October, 1997): 116-123.
43. Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross. The Jews in the Middle Ages, Jewish
Quarterly Review, 88:1-2 (July-October, 1997): 76-78.
44. Fred Rosner , The Medical Legacy of Moses Maimonides, Religious Studies Review,
25:2 (April, 1999): 208.
45. David E. Sklare, Samuel ben Hofni Gaon & his Cultural World: Texts and Studies,
Tarbiz., 68:2 (1999): 283-286.
46. Warren Zev Harvey, Physics and Metaphysics in Hasdai Crescas, Jewish Quarterly
Review, 92: 1-2 (July-October 2001): 233-236.
47. Nicholas de Lange, ed., Hebrew Scholarship and the Medieval World, in Journal of
Hebrew Scriptures, 4 (2002-2003): www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/reviews/review041.htm.
48. Steven Harvey, ed., The Medieval Hebrew Encyclopedias of Science and Philosophy, to
appear in Jewish Quarterly Review, 93:3-4.
49. Recent Books in Jewish Philosophy, to appear in Pe'amim.
50. Diana Lobel, Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious
Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari, to appear in AJSReview.
51. Lenn E. Goodman, Jewish and Islamic Philosophy. Crosspollinations in the Classic
Age, to appear in Pe'amim.

Other Publications:

1. Judaism and Christianity , Course Syllabus for the Academy for Jewish Studies Without
Walls, New York, American Jewish Committee, 1976.
2. Abstract “Jewish Philosphical Polemics Against Christianity in the Middle Ages,” in AJS
Newsletter , June, l977, p. 16.
3. Abstract “Averroistic Trends in Jewish-Christian Polemics in the Late Middle Ages,” in
AJS Newsletter , Sept., 1978, pp. 11, 24.
4. “The Status of Karaite Studies,” AJS Perspectives, 2:1, 2000, pp. 8-9.

Translations:

1. “The Holiness Code“ and “Rechabites“, Encyclopedia Judaica , Jerusalem, 1971-1972.

Newspapers:

1. “Ben Gurion University of the Negev has Unique History Department,” Jewish Journal of Broward County, January 15, 1987.
2. “Devar Torah: Shabbat Parah,” Long Island Jewish World, March 24-30, 1989.
3. “Rabbi Judah Hadassi,” Bita'on Benei Miqra, 4, September, 1989 (Hebrew).
4. “Devar Torah: Sukkot,” Long Island Jewish World, October 13-19, 1989.
5. “Devar Torah: Bereshit,” Long Island Jewish World, Oct. 27- Nov. 2, 1989.
6. “Devar Torah: Shemot,” Long Island Jewish World, January 19-25, 1990.
7. “Devar Torah: Naso,” Long Island Jewish World, June 1-7, 1990.
8. “Devar Torah: Ki Tetze,” Long Island Jewish World, Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 1990.
9. “Devar Torah: Nitzavim-Va-Yelekh,” Long Island Jewish World, Sept. 14-20, 1990.
10. “Devar Torah: Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah,” Long Island Jewish World,
Oct. 12-18, 1990.
11. “Kessim and the Karaite Condition,” Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15, 1992, p. 6.
12. “Maimonides and the Karaites,” Bita’on Benei Miqra, 23, Sept., 1993 (Hebrew).

Meetings and Invited Lectures (Unpublished):

Invited Plenary Sessions:

1. “Reflections on the Karaite Theory of Prophecy,” Study Day on the Karaite
Jews of the East, Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem, June, 1986 (Hebrew).
2. “Converts and Conversion in the Thought of Judah Ha-Levi,” The Edelman Lectures:
Themes in Medieval Jewish Mysticism and Philosophy, New York University, December, 1987.
3. “When the Winners Write the History: A Case Study of the Karaites,” and
“Christianity as Seen Through Jewish Eyes,” The Leonard Wolinsky Lectures at
York University, March, 1991.
4. “Jewish-Christian Polemic in Ashkenaz in the Late Middle Ages,” Ben-Zion
Degany Memorial Lecture, Ben-Gurion University, December, 1991.
5. “Jewish Philosophical Polemics Against Christianity from Medieval Prague,”
The Jewish Presence in Europe: The Prague Experience, Prague, July, 1993.
6. “The Rabbis Meet the Doctors: How Medical Halakhah is Made,” Annual
Meeting of the Pacific Northwest Institute for Judaic Studies, January, 1994.
7. “Saadia’s Polemic Against Christianity,” Saadia Gaon and his Oeuvre, Cairo, Egypt,
May, 1995.
8. “Real Presence, Symbolic Presence or No Presence: The Body of Christ in the
Medieval Jewish-Christian Debate,” The Body of Christ in the Late Middle Ages,
Rice University, November, 1995.
9. “The Saadia-Ben Meir Controversy Discovered in the Geniza,” The Cairo Geniza,
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, December, 1996.
10. “Jerusalem in Karaite Eschatology,” Last Stop Jerusalem: The Place of Jerusalem in
Eschatological Expectations, Bar-Ilan University, April 1997.
11. “Jewish Bioethics, Jewish Law and Cloning,” Israel in Asian Bioethics: International Workshop, Ben-Gurion University, June, 1997.
12. “Judah Halevi as a Philosopher,” Study Day on Rabbi Judah Halevi, Ben-Gurion
University, June, 2002.

Presentation of Papers at Meetings:

1. “Will, Or If you Prefer, Say: Wisdom, in Maimonides,” Seventh World Congress of
Jewish Studies, August, 1977.
2. “The Philosophy of Two Karaite Halakhists,” Annual Meeting, Association for
Jewish Studies, Boston, December, 1983.
3. “Philosophical Trends in Non-philosophical Karaite Writings,”
Ninth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, August, l985.
4. “New Perspectives on Karaite Philosophy,” First International Congress of
Karaite Studies, Paris, Sept. 1990.
5. “Who Was Nestor the Priest and Why Did He Say Such Nasty Things About
Christianity,” Annual Meeting, Association for Jewish Studies, Boston,
December, 1990.
6. “All’s Fair in Love, War and Polemics,” Annual Meeting, Association for Jewish
Studies, Boston, December, 1992.
7. “Attitudes Towards Animal Sacrifices Among Rabbanite and Karaite Followers of the
Kalam,” Conference of the Institute of Islamic-Judaic Studies, Denver, March, 1998.
8. “The Study of Other Religions by Means of Polemical Literature,” Annual Conference of
the Israel Society for the Study of Religions, Tel Aviv, March, 1999.
9. “The New Reproductive Technologies in Jewish Law,” and “Organ Transplants and
Determining Death in Jewish Law,” Las 2das. Jornadas Latinoamericanas de Ciencia y
Judaismo, Montevideo, August, 1999.
10. “The Jewish-Christian Debate and Medieval Jewish Philosophy,” Annual Meeting,
Association for Jewish Studies, Chicago, December, 1999.
11 “Models of Spirituality in Medieval Jewish Philosophy,” Orthodox Forum, Yeshiva
University, New York, April, 2000.
12. “Imagination and Intellect in the Medieval Jewish Philosophical Polemics against
Christianity,” The 11th International Congress of Medieval Philosophy, Porto, August,
2002.
13. “It Ain't Necessarily So: The Long Life of the Ancients in Medieval Jewish Philosophy,”
Annual Meeting, Association for Jewish Studies, Los Angeles, December, 2002.

Seminars at Universities and Institutions:

1. “Jewish Philosophy and Christian Trinity,” University of Denver, February, 1978.
2. “Minority vs. Minority: Jewish-Christian Polemics under Islam,” New York University,
April, 1978.
3. “Medieval Jewish Critiques of Christian Doctrines,” City University of New
York, Graduate Center, October, 1980.
4. “Philosophical Polemics in the Middle Ages,” Reconstructionist Rabbinical College,
February, 1984.
5. “Jewish-Christian Relations in the Middle Ages,” New York University, February, 1984.
6. “Pluralism in Judaism: The Case of the Karaites,” Hamilton College, May, 1984.
7. “The Christian, the Muslim, the Karaite, and the Proselyte in Judah
Halevi's Kuzari,” Haifa University, March, 1987.
8. “Issues in Medical Ethics: a Jewish Perspective,” Lafayette College, September, 1987.
9. “What Can We Learn About Hasdai Crescas' Philosophy from his Polemics?,”
Bar-Ilan University, Philosophy Department Colloquium, January, 1988.
10. “Jewish Bioethics,” Barry University, February, 1990.
11. “The Jewish-Christian Debate in Italy,” University of Maryland, April, 1990.
12. “The Theological Problem of the State of Israel,” Gratz College, May, 1990.
13. “Judaism and Christianity, Philosophy and Polemics - The Last 100 Years in
Spain,” Northwestern University, May, 1990.
14. “The Jewish-Christian Debate in Spain,” Franklin and Marshall College, January, 1993.
15. “Jew Versus Christian in the Lands of Islam,” Indiana University, January, 1993.
16. “Who is a Karaite and the Limits of Jewish Pluralism,” Hebrew Union College, January,
1993.
17. “Medieval Philosophy and the Jewish-Christian Debate,” Vanderbilt University,
February, 1993.
18. “Death and Dying in the Jewish Tradition,” Erlanger Medical Center, University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga, February, 1993.
19. “Enlightenment, Holocaust and Jewish Theology,” University of Alabama at
Tuscaloosa, February, 1993.
20. “The Jewish Debate with Christianity in the Middle Ages,” UCLA, January, 1994.
21. “Jewish Philosophical Exegesis in the Middle Ages,” Hebrew Union College, Los
Angeles, February, 1994.
22. “Judaism and Islam: An Age-Old Conflict in Historical Perspective,” Ohio State University, February, 1994.
23. “Jews, Christians and Conversos: The Jewish-Christian Debate on the Eve of the
Expulsion,” University of Toronto, February, 1994.
24. “Recent Trends in Karaite Scholarship,” Yeshiva University, February, 1994.
25. “Historicity and the Jewish-Christian Debate,” Brandeis University, February, 1995.
26. “The Beginnings of the Jewish Critique of Christianity in the Middle Ages,” Smith
College, February, 1995.
27. “Mythological Dimensions of the Jewish-Christian Encounter,” University of Chicago,
February, 1997.
28. “Karaite Biblical Exegesis,” York University, October, 1997.
29. “Transubstantiation in the Jewish-Christian Debate,” Duke University, March, 1998.
30. “Minority Within a Minority: An Overview of Karaite Judaism,” University of Cape
Town, August, 2000.
31. “Jewish Law and Bioethics,” Rice University, February, 2002.
32. “Competing Claims for Truth: Medieval Judaism and Christianity in Conflict,” Boston
College, February, 2003; available at http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-
elements/texts/articles/lasker.htm.

Talks which were subsequently published (or accepted for publication) have been given at the
Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference, 1976, 1977, 1987, 1989; Conference of the
Israeli Philosophical Association, 1979; Annual Conference of the Israeli Departments of Jewish
Thought, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989; 1997; Eighth World Congress of Jewish
Studies, 1981; Jewish Theological Seminary, 1982, 2001; Lehigh University, 1984;
Conferences of the Institute of Judeo-Islamic Studies, Denver, 1984, 1996; Conferences of the
Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001; Annual Meeting,
American Academy for Jewish Research, New York, 1989; New York University, 1991;
University of Maryland, 1991; Institute of Jewish Studies, University College, London, 1992;
Study Day at Ben-Zvi Institute, 1993; Eleventh World Congress of Jewish Studies, 1993;
University of California at Berkeley, 1993; Spertus College, 1993; Haifa University, 1993, 1996;
Oxford University, 1995; University of Memphis, 1995; Tel-Aviv University, 1999; XVIIIth
Quinquennial World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions,
Durban, South Africa, 2000; Ben-Gurion University, 2000, 2001.

Participation in Seminars and Workshops:

1. NEH Summer Seminar, “Metaphysical Directions in Medieval Islamic and Jewish
Philosophy,” Ohio State University under the direction of Prof. Alfred Ivry, 1976.
2. Institute for Advanced Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, “Workshop on
Interreligious Polemics,” under the direction of Prof. Hava Lazarus-Yafeh, 1995.
3. Lecturer at NEH Summer Seminar, “Representations of the 'Other': Jews in Medieval
Christendom” Oxford, England, under the direction of Prof. Irven M. Resnick, 2003.

Additional Information:

1. Profiled in Who's Who in the World, from Ninth Edition, 1988; Men of
Distinction, Fourteenth Editon, 1990.
2. Referee for AJSreview, Jewish Quarterly Review, Journal of the American Academy of
Religion, Maimonidean Studies, Mediaeval Studies, Medieval Philosophy and
Theology, Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Daat, Proceedings of the
Conference on Jewish Names (1993, 1997), Proceedings of the American
Academy for Jewish Research, Shofar, Tarbiz, University of Wisconsin Press, Misgav
Yerushalayim, Cambridge University Press, and Haifa University Press.
3. Reviewer of grant proposals for Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Koret Foundation.
4. Referree for doctoral dissertations: University of Toronto, Hebrew University, and
Bar-Ilan University.
5. Service on professional committees, or referee, for promotion and tenure: Ben-
Gurion University, Bar-Ilan University, Tel-Aviv University, Ohio State University,
University of Memphis, San Francisco State University and York University.
6. Public lectures at synagogues, schools and adult education.
7. Featured in article in Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, February 16, 1990, p. 5E.
8. Featured in article in Sheva, May 28, 1992, p. 54.
9. Member, Advisory Council to Editorial Board, Pe'amim.
10. Community Scholar-in-Residence, Houston, Texas, 2002.