Dr. Ellen M. Umansky is the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time ...

located in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

, positions that she has held since 1994. Before coming to Fairfield University, Dr. Umansky taught at various institutions, including

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

(1982-1986, Asst. Prof. of Religion;1987-1990, Associate Prof. of Religion)

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

(Margaret Gest Visiting Associate Professor of Religion, 1990–1991),

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

(Visiting Associate Professor of Religion spring, 1992) and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, NYC (Adjunct Assoc. Prof., 1990–1994). The author of five books and almost one hundred scholarly articles and encyclopedia articles on modern Jewish history and religious thought and/or Jewish women's spirituality, she is the 2009 recipient of Fairfield University's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Vision Award for her “effort to instill and inspire the teachings and ideals” of Dr. King and the 2012 recipient of the Fairfield University Alumni Association's Distinguished Faculty/Administrator Award for her “inspired teaching and service” to the university. Past President of the Southern Jewish Historical Society and Chair of its Nominations Committee, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Stimulus Foundation of Paulist Press, the Academic Advisory Board of the

Jewish Women's Archive The Jewish Women's Archive (JWA) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to document "Jewish women's stories, elevate their voices, and inspire them to be agents of change." JWA was founded by Gail Twersky Reimer in 1995 in Brookli ...

, and the Academic Council of the

American Jewish Historical Society The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and ...

. She is a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, Alpha Sigma Nu (the Jesuit Honor Society), and Theta Alpha Kappa (the national honors society in Religious studies and Theology).

Education

Dr. Umansky received her B.A. from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

; M.A. from the

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

; and her M.Phil. and Ph.D. in religion from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1981.

Bibliography

*''

Lily Montagu The Hon. Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE (22 December 1873 – 22 January 1963) was the first woman to play a major role in Progressive Judaism. Life Lily Montagu was the sixth of 10 children born to Ellen Cohen Montagu (1843–1919) and Samu ...

and the Advancement of Liberal Judaism: From Vision to Vocation (Studies in Women & Religion),'' (

Edwin Mellen Press The Edwin Mellen Press or Mellen Press is an international Independent business, independent company and Academic publisher, academic publishing house with editorial offices in Lewiston (town), New York, Lewiston, New York, and Lampeter, Lampete ...

, December 1983) *''Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters and Prayers'', ed. (

, 1985) *''Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality: A Sourcebook,'' edited with D. Ashton (

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...

, 2004) *''Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality: A Sourcebook,'' Revised Edition, edited and with introductions by Ellen M. Umansky and Dianne Ashton (Brandeis University Press, 2009) *''From Christian Science to Jewish Science: Spiritual Healing and American Jews'' (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, USA, 2005)

References

External links

Carl & Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies
Living people Yale Divinity School alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Vassar College faculty Princeton University faculty Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion faculty Fairfield University faculty Judaic studies Wellesley College alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-bio-stub