KHK Visiting Research Fellow 2009
Visiting Assistant Professor for Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

Following his fellowship at the Käte Hamburger Collegium “Dynamics in the History of Religions” Geoffrey Herman has been appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University. Before coming to Bochum he was granted post-doctoral fellowships at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Harvard University and the University of Geneva. From 2005 to 2007 he was Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York.

Geoffrey Herman’s areas of research and interest are ancient Jewish history, Talmud and rabbinics, Sasanian Empire, Syriac literature and Zoroastrianism. He is especially interested in the religious, cultural and social history of Sasanian Jewry and its relationship to other communities in that era and region. Another focus of attention is the interface between Sasanian Jewry and Persian culture in general. Geoffrey Herman has published several articles on religious leadership, interreligious exhumation practices and other topics. Currently he is preparing a comprehensive study on the history of Sasanian Jewry.

Education:

• Ph.D., Jewish History, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, 2006
• M.A., History of the Jewish People, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, 1998
• B.A., General History & History of the Jewish People, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, 1992

KHK Fellowship:

April 2009 - March 2010
Project: A Comprehensive Survey on Babylonian Jewry in the Sasanian Era