JTS Appoints New Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures

Dr. Yitz Landes Joins JTS as the Newest Faculty Member

April 19, 2023 — New York, NY — The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), one of the world’s preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, today announced its latest faculty appointment. Dr. Yitz Landes will join the faculty as Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures, joining a team of experts in this specialized field.

“Dr. Landes is an outstanding scholar and teacher, whose skills we have seen firsthand through his work as an adjunct JTS instructor for the past three years. His depth and breadth of knowledge in the fields of rabbinic and ancient Judaism are exceptional. I know he will further strengthen our curriculum for JTS students and inspire the wider Jewish community through his public teaching and writing” said JTS Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz.

In his role as assistant professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures, Dr. Landes will share his deep knowledge of rabbinic texts, liturgy, history, and Hebrew manuscripts with both undergraduate and graduate-level students, drawing upon his significant training in the field. He received a BA in Talmud and Religion and an MA in Talmud, with a concentration in the study of Late Antiquity and its Legacy, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He earned a Ph.D. in Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity from Princeton University.

Dr. Landes’ publications include a book entitled Studies in the Development of Birkat ha-Avodah, peer-reviewed articles such as “Piyyut, Mishnah, and Rabbinization in the Sixth to Eighth Centuries” (Jewish Studies Quarterly), and several book reviews.

“Joining the faculty in this capacity is truly an honor,” said Dr. Yitz Landes, incoming JTS assistant professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures. “I have long admired JTS for its tradition of rigorous academic scholarship and its commitment to strengthening contemporary communities. Teaching at JTS over the past several years has been a uniquely enriching experience, and I am thrilled to now be a part of the JTS community as an assistant professor.”

Dr. Landes will assume his new role on July 1, 2023.