Elias Sacks

Elias Sacks to Produce First English Translation of Hebrew Philosophical Classic

Maggie Rosenau — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:01:53 +0000

Elias Sacks to Produce First English Translation of Hebrew Philosophical Classic Maggie Rosenau Wed, 02/05/2025 - 14:01

Elias Sacks has signed a contract with Yale University Press to produce the first English translation of The Guide of the Perplexed of the Time (Moreh Nevukei Ha-zeman), the unfinished Hebrew magnum opus of the Eastern European Jewish philosopher Nachman Krochmal (1785-1840). A businessperson and communal leader who taught himself German, French, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac, Krochmal is widely recognized as a key figure in Jewish encounters with historicism, biblical criticism, and German Idealism, and exercised considerable influence on the development of Jewish nationalism and the academic study of Judaism. Produced in collaboration with Lawrence Kaplan (McGill University), this translation will appear in the Yale Judaica Series, a joint initiative of the Program in Jewish Studies at Yale University and Yale University Press.

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Director Elias Sacks publishes a new book review in Modern Theology

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 18:07:15 +0000

Director Elias Sacks publishes a new book review in Modern Theology Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/20/2022 - 12:07

Director Elias Sacks' review of Randi Rashkover's book "Nature and Norm: Judaism, Christianity, and the Theopolitical Problem” has been published in Modern Theology.

You can access the review here.

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Announcement from Director Elias Sacks

Anonymous — Mon, 09 May 2022 16:48:03 +0000

Announcement from Director Elias Sacks Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/09/2022 - 10:48

To the Program in Jewish Studies Community:

I hope that this email finds you healthy and safe. As the 2021-2022 academic year comes to a close, I’m writing to share the news that, in January 2023, I'll be leaving the �� to become the Director of the Jewish Publication Society. As some of you may know, JPS is the nation’s oldest non-profit focused on promoting accessible scholarship on the Jewish tradition: JPS is responsible for the English translation of the Hebrew Bible used in most academic and Jewish communal contexts, as well as for publications ranging from translations of classical Jewish sources to anthologies for use in academic and non-academic settings to books on ancient, medieval, and modern Jewish life. As Director, I’ll be charged with working with JPS’s Board of Trustees, as well as with the academic and non-academic communities JPS serves, to craft the organization’s vision and agenda, and with spearheading the programmatic work involved in actualizing that vision and agenda. This will largely be a remote position, so my family and I will continue to make Denver our home (even as I travel more frequently to the east coast and elsewhere).

As excited as I am about this new role, this news is also bittersweet for me: I've loved the work I’ve been able to pursue and the community I've been able to help create here. However, the JPS position is one that will invite me to pursue, on a national and international stage, the work that I’ve treasured most during my time as Director of Jewish Studies: the work of building bridges between scholars and the broader public, of facilitating the emergence of new and diverse scholarly voices, and of creating partnerships with individuals, communities, and organizations across the US (and beyond). I won’t begin my new position until January 2023, so I’ll be at CU throughout the summer and fall to work with my colleagues to facilitate a smooth transition — and even beyond January, I’ll be staying in Denver, so I’ll remain a resource for the program and the community.

We’ll share more information in the fall about who will succeed me as Director. In the meantime, I want to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude: to CU’s students, whose intellectual excitement, courage, and commitment amid unprecedented challenges have been nothing short of inspirational; to my faculty and staff colleagues in Boulder, whose passion, vision, wisdom, and integrity exemplify what a vibrant intellectual community can and should look like; and to all of you, within Colorado and beyond, whose love of learning, and belief in the value of higher education, are models for what our society needs, now more than ever. I’m so very honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to serve this community, and I’m looking forward to new opportunities to work, learn, and grow together.

With gratitude and admiration,

Elias Sacks
Director, Program in Jewish Studies
Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies
��
elias.sacks@colorado.edu

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A feature article on the new "Jews of Color: Histories and Futures" initiative appears in the Forward.

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 23:57:29 +0000

A feature article on the new "Jews of Color: Histories and Futures" initiative appears in the Forward. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/24/2022 - 16:57

Read about the new Henry Luce Foundation supported initiative, “Jews of Color: Histories and Futures,” spearheaded by Samira K. Mehta:

"‘A chance to change the world’ — new initiative to elevate voices and experiences of Jews of Color"

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Meet the Incoming Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Elias Sacks

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 18:54:30 +0000

Meet the Incoming Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Elias Sacks Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/31/2019 - 11:54

We are excited to announce that Elias Sacks, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies, will begin his term as Director of the Program in Jewish Studies on January 1, 2020. We would also like to thank Professor Beverly Weber for serving as Interim Director during the Fall 2019 semester and for all of the wonderful work she did for the Program. Professor Weber will resume her duties as the Progam’s Director of Graduate Studies in the Spring 2020 semester.

Meet Professor Elias Sacks

Elias Sacks is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies and joined the �� faculty in 2012. His research and teaching focus on Jewish thought, Jewish-Christian relations, philosophy of religion, religion and politics, and religious ethics, with a particular interest in the modern period. He is the author of Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (Indiana University Press, 2017), as well as articles on medieval and modern thinkers such as Moses Maimonides, Baruch Spinoza, Nachman Krochmal, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Jacob Taubes. Sacks also published some of the first English translations of Moses Mendelssohn’s Hebrew writings in Moses Mendelssohn: Writings on Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible (Brandeis University Press, 2011), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He sits on the board of the Society of Jewish Ethics and is a past president of the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature. Since arriving at CU, he has served as Associate Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Associate Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and a member of the Center for Humanities and the Arts steering committee.

"I’m humbled and excited to take over as Director of Jewish Studies because I believe that what we do in this program stands at the heart of what a public university can and must do in the twenty-first century. By fostering the interdisciplinary exploration of global Jewish culture, history, religion, and thought, we provide students with the skills to become critical thinkers and engaged global citizens; we empower faculty to pose new questions and generate new knowledge; and we engage the broader public to wrestle with ethical, political, and religious questions central to contemporary life. I am deeply grateful for Beverly Weber’s dedicated service as Interim Director this past semester and for the leadership of our predecessors, Nan Goodman and David Shneer.”

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Elias Sacks' Visit to the University of Virginia

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 19:10:57 +0000

Elias Sacks' Visit to the University of Virginia Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/26/2019 - 12:10

Elias Sacks, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies and Incoming Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, recently visited the University of Virginia to lecture on Jewish thought and anti-intellectualism, give a colloquium on the Frankfurt School and critical theory, and lead discussions with undergraduate and graduate students. His visit was sponsored by the University of Virginia's Jewish Studies Program, Center for the Study of Religion, and Center for German Studies.

Learn More �� Professor Elias Sacks

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Meet the New Director of the Program in Jewish Studies; Meghan Perea Promoted in Arts & Sciences

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:31:19 +0000

Meet the New Director of the Program in Jewish Studies; Meghan Perea Promoted in Arts & Sciences Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/02/2019 - 10:31

We are excited to announce the appointment of Professor Elias Sacks as the new Director of the Program in Jewish Studies. Professor Sacks succeeds Professor Nan Goodman, who will continue to serve as a faculty member with the Program in Jewish Studies and Department of English. This fall, Professor Sacks will be on sabbatical and will begin his directorship on January 1, 2020. During his sabbatical, Professor Beverly Weber will serve as the Interim Director for the Program in Jewish Studies beginning July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.

We're also pleased to announce that Meghan Perea, Executive Manager of the Program in Jewish Studies, has received a promotion within the College of Arts & Sciences at CU Boulder.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Sacks, Professor Weber, and Meghan Perea on their new appointments! Thank you, Professor Goodman, for your work as the Director of the Program in Jewish Studies!

Continue reading to learn more about these changes in Jewish Studies!

Professor Nan Goodman

Outgoing Director of the Program in Jewish Studies

To our students, colleagues, program and library staff, College administrators, community members, and donors, I write with a fond farewell. It has been an honor and privilege serving as Director of the Program in Jewish Studies these last four years. My term as Director came to an end on June 30, 2019, and I am stepping down in order to devote more time to my research and writing. There can be no question, however, that my all of my future endeavors, scholarly and pedagogical, will be informed by everything I have learned as Director of this energetic, innovative, and intellectually diverse program. In my Jewish Studies classrooms, I have had the good fortune to teach some of the most curious students of my career; I have enjoyed and benefited from a myriad of conversations with my colleagues on topics ranging from Jewish philosophy to music; I have expanded my knowledge of the Jewish experience in America by immersing myself in our growing archival collections; I have made lasting friendships with and witnessed an outpouring of generosity from a variety of community members; and I’ve had the pleasure of working with two of the most talented and dedicated staff members I’ve ever known.

I am also happy to say, I have added value to this gem of a program. I leave the program in a stronger place, having launched a number of initiatives that have expanded our public education programming and increased our fundraising to unprecedented levels. I have also overseen three new hires for faculty members whose research areas and class offerings have enriched our curriculum, and I have worked diligently on existing faculty retention and support at the same time. I have broadened the interdisciplinary reach of an already interdisciplinary program, bringing English and Dance graduate students as well as a faculty collaboration with Women and Gender Studies into the mix, and I have doubled down on our efforts to recruit more students into our newly user friendly major and minor tracks.

To our wonderful incoming Director, Eli Sacks, whose term officially starts in January 2020, and Interim Director, Beverly Weber, who will lead the Program in Fall 2019, I wish you the best of luck and am so glad you will be at the helm. Finally, I know Beverly and Eli join me in thanking Meghan Perea, whose service to PJS has been incomparable. We all wish her well in her new administrative staff position in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Felicidades and parabéns!

Nan Goodman

Professor Beverly Weber

Interim Director for the Program in Jewish Studies, July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019

Professor Weber is Associate Professor of German Studies and Jewish Studies, and joined PJS in 2014. For the last two years she has been privileged to serve as the Associate Director of Graduate Studies. She teaches courses on racisms in Europe after 1970, Holocaust memory, film, and refugee art and activism. She is currently writing a book manuscript, Decolonizing Hospitality, on refuge and sanctuary in contemporary German culture. Her first book, Violence and Gender in the “New” Europe: Islam in German Culture, examines racist and Islamophobic responses to gender violence in German politics and news media, as well as Muslim women’s challenges to gender violence and racism in literature, art, and popular media. Her co-authored book (with Maria Stehle) entitled Precarious Intimacies: The Politics of Touch in Contemporary European Cinema will appear in early 2020; it explores intimate friendships and relationships in films about those living extremely precarious lives - particularly refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants.

"I am honored to be stepping in as interim director in the fall. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve a program that has provided such an inspiring and supportive intellectual community, and that I believe is a model for interdisciplinary thinking and learning. It is daunting, of course, to serve as a transitional point between Nan's impressive work and accomplishments and what will be an equally exciting time for Jewish Studies under Eli's directorship."

Professor Weber will resume her duties as the Graduate Director of the Program in Jewish Studies Spring 2020.

Please contact Professor Beverly Weber or CUJewishStudies@colorado.edu with any Jewish Studies related inquiries you may have between July 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.

Professor Elias Sacks

New Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Starting January 1, 2020

Elias Sacks, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies, will become Director of the Program in Jewish Studies in January 2020. His research and teaching focus on Jewish thought, Jewish-Christian relations, philosophy of religion, religion and politics, and religious ethics, with a particular interest in the modern period. He is the author of Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (Indiana University Press, 2017), as well as articles on medieval and modern thinkers such as Moses Maimonides, Baruch Spinoza, Nachman Krochmal, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Jacob Taubes. Sacks also published some of the first English translations of Moses Mendelssohn’s Hebrew writings in Moses Mendelssohn: Writings on Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible (Brandeis University Press, 2011), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He sits on the board of the Society of Jewish Ethics and is a past president of the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature, and since joining the �� in 2012, he has served as Associate Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Associate Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and a member of the Center for Humanities and the Arts steering committee.

"I’m humbled and excited to take over as Director of Jewish Studies because I believe that what we do in this program stands at the heart of what a public university can and must do in the twenty-first century. By fostering the interdisciplinary exploration of global Jewish culture, history, religion, and thought, we provide students with the skills to become critical thinkers and engaged global citizens; we empower faculty to pose new questions and generate new knowledge; and we engage the broader public to wrestle with ethical, political, and religious questions central to contemporary life. I am deeply grateful for the leadership of my predecessors, Nan Goodman and David Shneer, and I’m thrilled that Beverly Weber will be serving as interim director this fall."

While Professor Sacks will be working closely with our community during the Fall 2019 semester, he will be on sabbatical. Please contact Professor Beverly Weber or CUJewishStudies@colorado.edu with any Jewish Studies related inquiries you may have before January 1, 2020.

Meghan Perea

Outgoing Executive Manager with the Program in Jewish Studies

I am delighted to announce that I have received a promotion in the College of Arts and Sciences and will be taking a lead administrative position in CU’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese. This is an advancement opportunity in which I will be learning new professional skills in leadership and management.

I am comfortable making this transition in my career at this time because I am confident that I am leaving Jewish Studies in a place of strength. I am so proud of all we have accomplished over the seven years I have worked in the program, and I am equally excited about what is to come. Indeed, this is a bittersweet moment for me. I cannot express the profound sense of gratitude and love I feel for the Program in Jewish Studies, our faculty and staff, our incredible students, and our wonderful community. Jewish Studies has been my home for nearly a decade. Having been both student and staff, I feel strongly that Jewish Studies is a model for what an academic unit can be at CU. I want to thank you all for everything you have done to make my time here in PJS truly wonderful. Students, working with you has been my favorite part of the job. It has meant the world to me to learn alongside such engaged, intelligent, and compassionate people. To our community members, PJS would not be possible without you. Thank you for all you do for PJS faculty, students, and staff.

I especially want to thank Professor Nan Goodman and Professor David Shneer, who were the two wonderful directors during my time in PJS. Thank you both for your inspired leadership.

I deeply regret that I will not have the chance to continue to work with Professor Beverly Weber and Professor Elias Sacks as they take over the directorship of the program. Having worked with them both on many projects over the years, there is no doubt in my mind that PJS is heading in exciting directions. They are both administratively savvy, care deeply about the success of PJS, have creative ideas about where PJS can go next, and are delightful colleagues to boot! With Professor Weber and Professor Sacks at the helm and Vanessa Frye, Communications and Outreach Administrator, holding down the fort (who, I must add, is one of the most talented, creative, and compassionate staff members I have ever worked with), I am confident that PJS will continue to thrive. I’m also grateful to Michelle Gaffga, Director of Development in CU Advancement, and her team, and Michael Lynn, Academic Advisor for Jewish Studies, who are incredible colleagues and will continue to be amazing resources for Jewish Studies’ community and students. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of them with questions.

I will have a two-month, staged transition beginning July 1, 2019, so that I may work part-time in PJS to assist with finding and training my replacement and keeping the ball rolling during the transition. My official last day will be August 30, 2019. Please understand that during this transition period, I may be slower to respond to emails and requests.

And finally, please know, I will not be going far! I will still be in the College of Arts and Sciences at CU, and I look forward to participating with the Program in Jewish Studies as a staff collaborator and active community member.

Thank you, to this Jewish Studies community, for everything.

Meghan

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Professor Elias Sacks Awarded Provost Faculty Achievement Award

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 17:52:06 +0000

Professor Elias Sacks Awarded Provost Faculty Achievement Award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/26/2017 - 11:52

Elias Sacks, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Associate Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, was recently awarded a Provost Faculty Achievement Award, which is presented to selected faculty members who have offered recent significant publications or creative contributions in their academic fields. The award committee singled out his recent book Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (2017) for its commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship. In recent months, Sacks also traveled to Jerusalem to speak at the Seventeenth World Congress of Jewish Studies and delivered the annual Lenni Sassower Lecture at the Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, addressing the topic “Can Jews Be Citizens? Jewish Politics from the Enlightenment to Today.” Additionally, Sacks published an essay on the Oxford University Press blog entitled “Moses Mendelssohn’s Hebrew Politics,” reflecting on Mendelssohn’s legacy in 2017 America, and offered several classes through the CU Boulder Peak to Peak Lecture Series, a program that brings humanities scholars to communities around Colorado.

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Elias Sacks awarded Provost Faculty Achievement Award

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:38:25 +0000

Elias Sacks awarded Provost Faculty Achievement Award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/05/2017 - 09:38

Elias Sacks, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies, has been awarded a Provost Faculty Achievement Award. This award is presented to selected faculty members who have offered recent significant publications or creative contributions in their academic fields. The award committee singled out Professor Sacks’s recent book Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (2017), praising it for “exemplifying interdisciplinary scholarship."

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Professor Elias Sacks Featured in Steamboat Today

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 15:50:55 +0000

Professor Elias Sacks Featured in Steamboat Today Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/17/2017 - 09:50

Recently, Steamboat Today featured an interview with Professor Elias Sacks' about his upcoming Peak to Peak Lectures in Steamboat Springs, CO. On August 18 and 19, Professor Sacks will lead conversations that ask the questions, "Does God Make Mistakes?" and "Does Christianity Matter for Judaism – and Vice Versa?". Both events are free and open to the public and will take place at the Steamboat at the Spiritual Life Center at the Heart of Steamboat United Methodist Church. RSVPs are appreciated to CUJewishStudies@colorado.edu.

Spiritual Life Center at the Heart of Steamboat United Methodist Church
736 Oak Street, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487

Does God Make Mistakes?
Friday, August 18, 2017 | 5 PM

Does Christianity Matter for Judaism – and Vice Versa?
Saturday, August 19, 2017 | 3 PM

Read the Steamboat Today Article

Visit Our Events Page

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