President Heidi Hadsell is pleased to announce that Dr. Deena Grant will occupy the Jewish Studies Chair, starting July 1 as Associate Professor of Jewish Studies.

“Deena is an excellent and dedicated scholar of Hebrew Bible and an engaging and creative teacher,” President Hadsell said. “Deena also has ample experience in interfaith contexts, and hers will be a rich contribution to the work we do at Hartford Seminary. We’re happy to have her.”

Dr. Grant is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Barry University in Miami. She is the only Jewish faculty member in the Theology Department at Barry, a Catholic university.

“I am looking forward to joining Hartford Seminary and am excited to participate in the interfaith and academic work accomplished here,” she said.

Dr. Grant received her BA from Brandeis University in Near Eastern and Jewish Studies and her Ph.D. from New York University in Hebrew and Judaic Studies. She also studied at Drisha’s Institute for Jewish Education in New York, Hebrew University’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem and Midreshet Lindenbaum Women’s Institute for Talmudic Studies in Jerusalem.

She received the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture International Doctoral Scholarship for Studies Specializing in Jewish Fields as well as the Dorot Award at the 37th Annual Conference for the Association of Jewish Studies.  Dr. Grant is a core member of the Interfaith Committee at Barry University, organizing regular opportunities for Interfaith Dialogue. She has written a number of articles as well as a book entitled, Divine Anger in the Hebrew Bible, which was published by the Catholic Biblical Association.