Jack, Joseph & Morton Mandel Chair in Jewish Studies

The Mandel Chair was made possible thanks to a collaboration between The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation; The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation; and John Carroll alumna Norma Geller '87, who was an early advocate of the University’s efforts to create this opportunity. Learn more.

The inaugural holder of the Mandel Chair is Dr. Noah Bickart.

The Mandel Chair offers several courses to John Carroll undergraduates, TRS majors, minors, and graduate students. These include:

• Hebrew Bible
• Introduction to Judaism
• Abraham: Father of Many Nations
• The Rabbis on Sex and Gender
• Jewish Messianism
• Senior Seminar on Interreligious Understanding

See full course listing.

Dr. Noah Bickart new book, The Scholastic Cultures of the Babylonian Talmud studies how and in what cultural context the Talmud began to take shape in the scholastic centers of rabbinic Babylonia. Bickart tracks the use of the term tistayem ("let it be promulgated") and its analogs, in contexts ranging from Amoraic disciple circles to Geonic texts, and in comparison with literatures of Syriac-speaking Christians. The study demonstrates increasing academization during the talmudic period, and supports a gradual model of the Talmud's redaction. Learn more.

The Mandel Chair sponsors lectures and other events on topics ranging from the Hebrew Bible to contemporary issues facing the Jewish community. With a special focus on Jewish history from the Talmudic period to today, the Mandel Chair also collaborates with the Breen Chair in Catholic Theology and the Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies to promote greater interreligious understanding. A selection of recent events can be viewed here.