Burton L. Visotzky (born 1951) is an American rabbi and scholar of
midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...
. He is the Appleman Professor of
Midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...
and Interreligious Studies, Emeritus at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
(JTS).
Education
Visotzky was educated at the
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
, where he received his BA,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he received his EdM, and the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
, where he received his MA, Ph.D. and rabbinic ordination. He is a life member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.
Career
Visotzky joined the JTS faculty, teaching
midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...
, following his ordination in 1977. He also served as associate and acting dean of The Graduate School of JTS, and he was the founding rabbi of JTS's egalitarian worship service in the Women's League Seminary Synagogue.
Visotzky was appointed as director of the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
in 2010.
He has served in visiting faculty positions at a variety of schools including
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, Clare Hall – University of Cambridge,
Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...
,
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
,
Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...
,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, the
Russian State University for the Humanities
The Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH; ), is a university in Moscow, Russia with over 25,000 students. It was created in 1991 as the result of the merger of the Moscow Urban University of the People (est. 1908) and the Moscow Sta ...
in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, the
Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Interfaith dialogue
Visotzky has been active in
interfaith dialogue
Interfaith dialogue, also known as interreligious dialogue, refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religion, religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spirituality, spiritual or humanism, hum ...
, including at a groundbreaking meeting of Muslims, Christians, Jews sponsored by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in 2008. He also participated in interfaith dialogue in
Doha
Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
, where he was in the first group of
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
invited by the emir of
Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
.
Visotzky was appointed as director of the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
in 2010.
His work as director of the Finkelstein Institute has focused on Muslim-Jewish-Christian dialogue. In October 2010, Visotzky and
Arnold Eisen organized a group of prominent Muslim and Jewish scholars and leaders, joined by the heads of several Christian seminaries, to meet at JTS for two days for a workshop comparing the situations of Islam and Judaism in America. In 2012 Visotzky was awarded the Goldziher Prize for his work in Jewish-Muslim relations. In 2022 he was awarded the Shevet Achim award for his work in Jewish-Christian relations.
In 2011, as a result of a naming gift, Visotzky became director of the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at JTS. He also serves as Louis Stein Director of the Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies, charged with programming on public policy. Rabbi Visotzky is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Beginning in July, 2023, Visotzky served as an officer of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC).
Publications
Visotzky's books include:
*''Reading the Book: Making the Bible a Timeless Text'' (1991)
*''The Genesis of Ethics: How the Tormented Family of Genesis Leads Us to Moral Development'' (1996)
*''The Road to Redemption: Lessons from Exodus on Leadership and Community'' (1998)
*''From Mesopotamia to Modernity: Ten Introductions to Jewish History and Literature'' (co-editor with
David Fishman, 1999)
*''A Delightful Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval Mediterranean'' (2008)
*''Sage Tales: Wisdom and Wonder from the Rabbis of the Talmud'' (2011)
*''Aphrodite and the Rabbis: How the Jews Adapted Roman Culture to Create Judaism as We Know It' ' ( 2016)
*''The Changing Face of the American Jewish Family'' Co-editor (2018)
*''Fathers of the World: Essay in Rabbinic and Patristic Literatures'' (1995)
*''Judaism: I: History, II. Literature, III. Culture and Modernity'' Co-editor, (2021)
References
External links
*
Faculty Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visotzky, Burton
1951 births
Living people
American Conservative rabbis
American male non-fiction writers
American religion academics
American Jewish theologians
Jewish American academics
Jewish American historians
Jewish American non-fiction writers
Jewish Theological Seminary of America faculty
Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni
Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni
University of Illinois Chicago alumni
Historians of Jews and Judaism
American historians of religion
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century American rabbis
Date of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
People in interfaith dialogue