Karen B. Stern Gabbay
Professor
History
Location: 1127b Boylan Hall
Phone: 718.951.5000 x1168
Fax: 718.951.4504
Email:
Karen Stern is an award-winning author who draws from fields of archaeology, anthropology, history and religion to research the daily lives and material cultures of Jews of the ancient Mediterranean, Arabia and Mesopotamia. She earned an A.B. in Classics at Dartmouth College, Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Brown University and has conducted field research in Greece, the Middle East and North Africa with grants, fellowships and residencies from National Endowment for the Humanities, CAORC and the Getty Villa. She is author of Inscribing Devotion and Death: Archaeological Evidence for Jewish Populations of North Africa (Brill 2007); Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity (PUP 2018; 2020), winner of a 2020 Schnitzer Book Award; and co-editor of With the Loyal You Show Yourself Loyal (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2021). Her current book project considers Jewish history through the senses. The Daily Beast, Atlas Obscura, NPR, and the Guardian have featured her work.
Education:
Ph.D., Brown University - 2006 (Religious Studies)
A.M., Brown University - 2002 (Religious Studies, Program for Judaism in Antiquity)
A.B., Dartmouth College - 1997 (Classics)
Areas of Expertise:
Cultural identity and material culture of Jews throughout the Hellenistic and Roman Mediterranean; historical graffiti; history of the senses; ancient history of North Africa and the Levant; Greek, Latin and Aramaic graffiti and epigraphy; diversity of Jewish rabbinic and non-rabbinic populations in late antiquity; Roman Syria; religions of late antiquity; biblical texts of the Second Temple period; visuality and ancient Jewish culture; memory and postmemory among Jews of antiquity
Books and Publications
"Does Smoke Mean Fire? Illumination, Incense, and the Senses in Late Antique Synagogues and Olfaction in the Late Ancient Synagogue," Journal of Late Antiquity 16.1 (2023): 189-237. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2023
"Jewish Mortuary Graffiti," Qadmoniot 56.165 (2023): 61-69. Invited submission. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2023
"Marking Landscapes: Jews and Graffiti in Late Ancient Sicily," Stratigrafie del Paesaggio 3 (2022): 65-86. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2022
"Marking Landscapes: Jews and Graffiti in Late Ancient Sicily," Stratigrafie del Paesaggio 3 (2022); special issue, "Uomo e ambiente nel paesaggio siciliano,' 65-86. Invited submission. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2022
"Synagogue Inscriptions and the Politics of Prospective Memory," Future Thinking in Roman Culture: New Approaches to History, Memory, and Cognition, edited by Maggie Popkin and Diana Ng. Routledge: New York, 2022, 93-112. (Invited Contribution) (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2022
"Bonds Between the Living and the Dead: Rethinking Dedications in the Synagogue of Syrian Apamea," in With the Loyal You Show Yourself Loyal: Essays on Relationships in the Hebrew Bible in Honor of Saul M. Olyan, edited by Tracy Lemos, Jordan Rosenblum, Karen Stern, and Debra Scoggins Ballentine, 327-345. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2021
With the Loyal You Show Yourself Loyal: Essays on Relationships in the Hebrew Bible in Honor of Saul M. Olyan, edited by T. M. Lemos, Jordan D. Rosenblum, Karen B. Stern, Debra Scoggins Ballentine (SBL Press) (Books and Publications: Book (Edited)) 2021
"Material Culture in the Second Temple Period," in Naomi Koltun-Fromm and Gwynn Kessler, eds. Companion Volume on Late Ancient Jews and Judaism (UK, Wiley Blackwell) (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2020
"Prayer as Power. Amulets, Graffiti, and Vernacular Writing in Ancient Levantine Synagogues." The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends. Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 221-246. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2020
Book review (Hagith Sivan, Jewish Childhood in the Ancient World, CUP, 2018), September 2020. Invited by Association for Jewish Studies Review. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2020
Book review (Jodi Magness, Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth, PUP, 2019). July 2020. American Journal of Archaeology. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2020
"Archaeological Perspectives: Graffiti and Forgotten Jews," Biblical Archaeology Review (Feb/Mar vol. 46, 2019). (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2019
"Memory, Postmemory, and Place in the Synagogues of Roman Syria," Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 62.1: 53-85. In special issue on 'Remembering Roman Syria.' (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
"Opening Doors to Jewish Life in Syro-Mesopotamian Dura Europos," 9.2 (2019): 178- 200. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
"When is a Menorah not Just a Menorah? Menorah Graffiti in Jewish Mortuary Contexts," Near Eastern Archaeology 82.3: 164-171. In special issue on 'The Fate of the Temple Vessels in Jewish Antiquity.' (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
Review of Shira Lander: Ritual Sites and Religious Rivalries in Late Roman North Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2017), Journal of Early Christian Studies 29.3 (2019): 495-497. (Invited) (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2019
" 'Remember the Writer, the Reader, and Me.' Devotional Practices in Mortuary Contexts Among Ancient Jews," Historia Religionum 10 (2018): 23-26. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2018
"Carving Lines and Shaping Monuments: Mortuary Graffiti and Jews in the Ancient Mediterranean," in Scribbling through History: Graffiti, Place and People from Antiquity to Modernity, edited by Chloé Ragazzoli, Ömur Harmanşah, Chiara Salvador and Elizabeth Frood. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018, 145-159. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2018
"Ships, Jews, and Death: A Consideration of Nautical Images in Jewish Mortuary Contexts," Images 18 (2018): 1-21. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2018
Living on the Edge: Jews, Graffiti, and Communal Prayers in extremis," in Strength to Strength: Essays in Appreciation of Shaye Cohen, edited by Michael Satlow. Providence, RI: Brown Judaic Studies, 471-490. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2018
Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity (Princeton: Princeton University Press). (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2018
"Reading Between the Lines: Late Ancient Jewish Mortuary Practices in Text and Archaeology," Archaeology and Text: A Journal for the Integration of Material Culture with Written Documents in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East 1 (2017): 95-114. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2017
"Celebrating the Mundane: Figural Graffiti and Daily Life among Jews in Late Antiquity,? in Jewish Art in Late Antiquity. Proceedings from the Conference of 20-24 December, 2013, School of Archaeology of the Hebrew University, edited by Catherine Heszer and Uzi Leibner. Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2016
"Graffiti and the Visual Arts; Graffiti of Early and Medieval Judaism, Christianity, and Islam." Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Eds. Dale Allison, Christine Helmer, Choon-Leong Seow, Barry Walfish and Eric Ziolkowski. Berlin: DeGruyter. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
"Graffiti: Archaeology; Graffiti of Second Temple Period Judaism." Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Eds. Dale Allison, Christine Helmer, Choon-Leong Seow, Barry Walfish and Eric Ziolkowski. Berlin: DeGruyter. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
"Harnessing the sacred: Hidden writing and ?private? spaces in Levantine synagogues,? in Inscriptions in the Private Sphere in the Graeco-Roman World, edited by P. Keegan and R. Benefiel. Leiden: Brill, 2015, 214-237. Invited Submission. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2015
"Working Women: Professions of Jewish Women in the Late Ancient Levant,? in A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer, edited by Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Nathaniel DesRosiers, Shira L. Lander, Jacqueline Z. Pastis, Daniel Ullucci; Brown Judaic Studies 358. Providence, RI, Brown University, 263-274. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2015
"Inscription as Competition in Roman Dura Europos." Religious Competition in the Third Century CE: Jews, Christians, and the Greco-Roman World. Eds. Jordan D. Rosenblum, Lily Vuong and Nathaniel DesRosiers. Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2014
"Death and Burial in the Jewish Diaspora." Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology, vol. 1. Eds. Daniel Master, Avraham Faust, Beth Alpert Nakhai, L. Michael White and Jürgen Zangenberg. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 270-80. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
"Graffiti as Gift: Mortuary Graffiti in Beth She'arim and the Late Ancient Levant." The Gift in Antiquity. Ed. Michael Satlow. Wiley Blackwell. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2013
"Harnessing the Sacred: Inscribed Amulets and the Privatization of Religious Space in the Graeco-Roman Levant." Inscriptions in the Private Sphere in the Graeco-Roman World. Eds. P. Keegan and R. Benefiel. Leiden: Brill. Expected 2014. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
"Vandals or Pilgrims? Jews and the Temple of Pan in Egyptian El-Kanais." The One Who Sows Bountifully: Essays in Honor of Stanley K. Stowers. Eds. Caroline Johnston Hodge, Saul Olyan, Daniel Ulucci and Emma Wasserman. Indiana: Eisenbrauns. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
Invited submission: "Die Synagoge von Dura Europos: jüdisches Leben im römischen Osten." Imperium der Götter. Isis-Mithras-Christus. Kulte und Religionen im Römischen Reich (Exhibition Catalogue). Ed. Claus Hattler. Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, Germany [German]. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
"Hammam Lif Mosaics." Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition (7th-9th Century). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2012
"Tagging Sacred Space in the Dura Europos Synagogue." Journal of Roman Archaeology 25, fasc. 1: 171-94. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2012
"Keeping the Dead in their Place: Mortuary Practice and Cultural Identity in Roman North Africa." Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean. Ed. Erich Gruen. Los Angeles: Getty Museum Publications. 307-35. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2011
"Mapping Devotion in Roman Dura Europos: Reconsideration of the Synagogue Ceiling." American Journal of Archaeology 114.3: 473-504. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2010
"Limitations of Jewish as a Label in Roman North Africa." Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Worlds 39: 1-34. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2008
Inscribing Devotion and Death: Archaeological Evidence for Jewish Populations of North Africa (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World, 161. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2008
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Jordan Schnitzer Book Award from the Association for Jewish Studies for 'Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity" in the category of 'Jews and the Arts: Music, Performance, and Visual' (Awards and Honors) 2020
Tow Faculty Research Travel Fellowship for travel in Rome, Naples and Venosa (Awards and Honors) 2019
Tow Professorship for Research, 2019-2021; award for tenured faculty toward expenses related to scholarship and research (Awards and Honors) 2019
Faculty Publication Grant (Runner up, partial award), CUNY (Grants and Fellowships) 2017
AIA Subvention Award, Van Bothmer Subvention Grant of the American Institute of Archaeology, for partial subvention to assist publication costs of "Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Late Antiquity (PUP)." (Grants and Fellowships) 2014
National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship, for "Jewish Graffiti in the Ancient Mediterranean World." (Grants and Fellowships) 2013
PSC-CUNY award for travel and research. (Grants and Fellowships) 2013
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, W.F. Albright Institute of Archaelogical Research, Jerusalem. (Grants and Fellowships) 2010
Research stipend, Memoria Romana Project, University of Texas at Austin and Max Plank Institute; grant to conduct research in Rome on "Mortuary Graffiti, Memory and History in the Jewish Catacombs of Late Ancient Rome." (Grants and Fellowships) 2010
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Disorientation as Worship: A Different (Re-)View of the Dura Europos Synagogue." Seminar in Art History (ART 318), Bard College, Annendale-on-Hudson, NY. March 2023. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2023
"Rethinking the Dura Europos Synagogue." Seminar in Jewish Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, April 2023. Invited Talk [Zoom]. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2023
"Carving, Writing, Touching, Gouging: Tactility and Interactivity in the Dura Europos Synagogue," in conference of Dura Europos: Past, Present and Future, Yale University, New Haven, CT, April 2022. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Disorientation as Worship: A Different (Re-)View of the Dura Europos Synagogue." Seminar in Art History (ART 318), Bard College, Annendale-on-Hudson, NY. March 2023. Invited Talk. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Inscription, Touch, and Worship in the Synagogue of Dura Europos," Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society [AIAS] (Zoom), April 2022. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"New Directions in Research in the Synagogue of Dura Europos," RAC (Roman Archaeology Conference, Split, Croatia, April 2022. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Persians, Jews, and Graffiti in the Dura Europos Synagogue." Panel on graffiti in Ancient West Asia, Mesopotamia and Persia. 34th Deutscher Orientalistentag. Berlin, Germany. September 2022. Invited Talk. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Rethinking the Space of the Dura Europos Synagogue." Seminar on Sacred Spaces in the Roman East, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. New York, NY. October 2022. Invited Talk. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Where there is Smoke is there Fire? Rethinking Illumination and Olfaction in the Ancient Synagogue." North Carolina Seminar in Jewish Studies, Duke University, Raleigh, NC. October 2022. Invited Talk. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
Shared Prayers/Shared Shrines: Jews, Graffiti, and Worship in the Hellenistic and Roman East. Department of Classics, CUNY Graduate Center (Zoom), February 2022 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2022
"Synagogue as Sensorium: Rethinking Jewish Devotional Spaces in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds." Annual Meetings of AJS (Association for Jewish Studies) December 2021. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2021
Invited Response to Session: The Legacy and Scholarship of Dura-Europos 100 Years Later. Art and Religions of Antiquity. Annual Meetings of Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, Texas, November 2021. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2021
Phenomenology of Space and Landscape: New Frontiers in Research of the Dura Europos Synagogue. Annual Meetings of Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, Texas, November 2021. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2021
The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity. Invited panelist and discussant of Eva Mroczek's monograph, The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity (OUP 2017); Jewish Studies Book Club - CUNY Graduate Center/Fordham Center for Jewish Studies (Zoom), March 2021. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2021
"Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity," eLimmud, South Africa, May 31, 2020. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity. History panel at eLimmud (Conference for Jewish History, Culture and Life), Capetown, South Africa, May 2020. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
New Data for Old Cultures: Reconsidering Jewish Life in North Africa from New Epigraphic Finds. Contextualizing North Africa section of Annual Meeting of Society of Biblical Literature, December 2020. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
"Jews in North Africa: New Evidence and Old Problems." Invited lecture for Seminar in Christian Origins, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
"Writing on the Wall," Program for Jewish Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut at Storrs, Storrs, CT. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Jews and Graffiti: A Book Salon. Invited panel to discuss Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity. Respondents include Professors Robert Hoyland (ISAW) and Annette Yoshiko-Reed (NYU). CUNY Graduate Center, February 28, 2019 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Jews of Ancient Syria. History panel at Limmud (International Conference for Jewish History, Culture and Life), Birmingham, UK, December 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Jews, Graffiti, and the Politics of Prospective Memory. Participant in panel on Prospective Memory and the Religious Traditions of Antiquity (organized by Diana Ng and Maggie Popkin), Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Jews, Material Culture, and a New Historiography through Graffiti. Invited lecture, Program in Judaic Studies, Queens College, CUNY, March 8, 2019 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Magic and Bones in the Ancient Synagogue. History panel at Limmud (International Conference for Jewish History, Culture and Life), Birmingham, UK, December 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Rethinking the Synagogue of Dura Europos. Regional lecture for American Institute for Archaeology, Rye, New York, November 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Rethinking Writing on the Wall. Invited respondent to panel (including Cynthia Baker, Gil Klein, Mika Ahuvia) to review Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity, Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Talmudic Graffiti? Rethinking Text and Textuality in the Archaeological Record. Invited lecture for Conference, Text Unbound: (Re-)Imagining the Talmud (organized by Shai Secunda) at Bard College, April 15, 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Working Jewish Women in Antiquity. History panel at Limmud (International Conference for Jewish History, Culture and Life), Birmingham, UK, December 2019. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Jews of Antiquity. History panel at Limmud (International Conference for Jewish History, Culture and Life), Birmingham, UK, December 2019. Invited talk. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2019
"Materiality of Emotion in Inscribed Jewish Prayers." Invited lecture at Materializing Ancient Judaism Symposium, Frankel Institute of Jewish Studies, University of Michigan. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
Invited lecture to Brooklyn College LAMEM seminar: "The Materiality of Emotion in Inscribed Jewish Prayers." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
Invited seminar presentation: "Women, Emotion, and Inscribed Jewish Prayers." Presenter and panel discussant in Panel "(Re)thinking the Lives of Ancient Jewish Women," annual meeting of Association for Jewish Studies, Boston, MA, December 18-19, 2018. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2018
"Class Divides: Reading, Writing, and Jewish Daily Life through Graffiti." Invited public lecture at Bard Graduate Center, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2017
"Opening Doors to Jewish Life in Syrian Dura Europos"; in section devoted to "Using Legacy Data for Archaeological Study: The Case of Dura Europos," Annual Meetings of the Archaeological Institute of America, Boston, MA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2017
Graffiti and Popular Jewish Ritual. Invited lecture for the International Conference, "Shared Ritual Practices and Divided, Historiography: Media, Phenomena, Topoi," (June 14-16, 2017 at Bildungshaus St. Ursula, Erfurt); Research Centre, "Dynamics of Jewish Ritual Practices in Pluralistic Contexts from Antiquity to the Present." Universität Erfurt, Germany, June 2017. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2017
Invited respondent to public lecture of Andrea Berlin, "Beyond the Temple: Jewish Households from the Maccabees to the Jewish Revolt Against Rome," Bard Graduate Center, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2017
"Writing as Power: Texts and Daily Life in Ancient Levantine Synagogues." Invited keynote lecture for conference, The Synagogue in Ancient Palestine: Current Issues and Emerging Trends, University of Helsinki, Finland, 22 September, 2016. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
Invited respondent to papers in Hellenistic Judaism section (Andrea Berlin, Avner Ecker), which addressed central question: What can domestic artifacts tell us about ethnic, religious and cultural affiliations? Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, TX, November 2016. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
Panelist in Jewish Christianity/ Christian Judaism section, which addressed "Identity in Late Antique Syria: ?Jewish-Christians,? Theurgists, and Prophets". Paper: Communicating with god(s) in Syrian Dura Europos." Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, TX, November 2016. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
"Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Late Antiquity." Department of Jewish and Israel Studies Faculty Seminar. Columbia University. New York, February. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
"Histories Lost and Found: Art, Writing and Jewish Cultures of Late Antiquity." Faculty Seminar, School of History, University of Haifa, Israel. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
"Rethinking Judaism in Antiquity Through Attention to Daily Life." School of History, University of Haifa. December. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
"Rocks Are to Pray With: Graffiti and the Materiality of Prayer in Late Roman Arabia." Materiality of Texts in Late Ancient and Early Medieval Europe Symposium, organized by Sean Leatherbury. Bard Graduate Center. New York, March. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
"Decoration as Commemoration: Pictorial Graffiti From the Beit Shearim Necropolis." Designing Daily Life: Decoration and Cultural Identity Among Ancient Jewish Populations Session (session organizer). World Congress of Jewish Studies. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2013
"Methods to Their Madness? Deciphering Mortuary Graffiti of Ancient Jews and Their Levantine Neighbors." Scribbling the Past Workshop, Symposium on Egyptian Graffiti and Its Broader Geographic, Social and Religious Contexts. Organized by Chloe Ragazzoli. Oxford University. September. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
"Inscription as Competition in Third-century Syria." Religious Competition in the Third Century Session. Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature. Chicago, November. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2012
"Location and Locution: Rethinking Spatial Context in the Interpretation of Jewish Inscriptions." Dedicated international Jewish Epigraphy Session, of Hellenistic Judaism Section. Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature. Chicago, November. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2012
"When Architecture and Epigraphy Collide: Graffiti, Built Space, and Cultural Identity in the Roman East." Panel on Architecture and Judaism in Antiquity. Annual Meeting of the Association for Jewish Studies. Boston, December. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2010
"Geographies of Dedication in the Dura Europos Synagogue." Panel on Epigraphy and Paleography. International Conference of the Society of Biblical Literature. Pontifical Biblical Institute. Rome, July. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2009
"Deconstructing Categories to Reconstruct Jewish Cultural History: Toward a Reevaluation of Jewish Archaeology in the Southern Mediterranean." Panel on Early Judaism and Christianity. Annual Meetings of the American Society of Oriental Research. Boston, November. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2008
"Emulation Is the Sincerest form of Romanitas: Jewish Cultural Identity in the Late Roman Mediterranean." Annual Meetings of the American Institute of Archaeology. Chicago, January. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
"Rome in the Eye of the Beholder: Comparing Cultural Identities Among Diaspora Jewish Populations in Late Antiquity." David Noy, respondent. Getty Villa Lecture Series. Malibu, Calif., February. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Professional Leadership
Member, Steering Committee, Hellenistic Judaism section, Society of Biblical Literature, 2009-13. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2013
Pedagogical Achievements
Whiting Fellowship for excellence in undergraduate teaching (one semester). 2011
Community Activities
Interview and appearance on UrbanU, "Spanning the Globe," CUNY TV (first presentation: March 7, 2019); http://www.cuny.tv/show/urbanu/PR2007632 2019
"The Wit and Wisdom of Jewish Graffiti"; profile of Writing on the Wall in Atlas Obscura (by Eve Kahn) https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-jewish-graffiti 2018
"What was it like to be a Jew in the Roman Empire" (by Candida Moss); column reviewing Writing on the Wall in the Daily Beast. 2018
CUNY Matters (http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/matters/2018/10/10/graffiti-illuminates-the-lives-of-jews-of-antiquity/); "Digging Deep for Ancient Graffiti," (December 2018) 2018
Invited talk "Jewish life in Roman Dura Europos"; endowed lecture for AIA local chapter, Hofstra University, New York, November, 2018 2018
Featured interview: "Vandálok vagy zarándokok? - Gafitik a Szent Sír Templomban." The Index (Hungarian online news journal). April. In Hungarian. 2014
"Graffiti and Selfies Record Pilgrims' Progress at Bethlehem Shrine," featured interview on TheGuardian.com.
2013
"Religious Graffiti in Bethlehem," featured interview for CCTV, China's English-language news network. 2013
"Designing Sacred Spaces in the Synagogue of Dura Europos" invited public gallery lecture. Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University. 2011
Featured interview on National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/2011/06/19/137257434/archaeologists-unscramble-ancient-graffiti-in-israel. 2011
Other Professional Activities
"Rethinking Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity," invited lecture for undergraduate course of Jewish Art and Archaeology of Prof. Steven Fine, Stern College for Women, NYC, March 2019. 2019
