Kassel Rosenzweig Professorship awarded to Judaist Hanna Liss

Liss (52) is Professor of Bible and Jewish Biblical Interpretation at the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien in Heidelberg. In her academic work, she focuses primarily on medieval Jewish biblical and commentary literature and on medieval biblical codices in Western Europe. She is committed to building bridges between the academic world and a broader public. In addition to numerous scholarly writings, she has published, for example, a textbook on the Tanakh and a five-volume annotated Torah for children and young adults.

"With Hanna Liss, the University of Kassel gains an outstanding expert in the interpretation of Scripture in Judaism. She is not only an excellent connoisseur of the Jewish Middle Ages, but also knows how to make the Jewish worlds of Europe come alive for contemporary listeners. I value Hanna Liss as a critical and interesting colleague and am very much looking forward to the cultural studies exchange with her," said Prof. Dr. Ilse Müllner, Professor of Catholic Theology/Old Testament at the University of Kassel and member of the search committee.

Liss received her doctorate in 1995 with a thesis on the medieval Jewish theologian Eleazar of Worms. In 2002, she habilitated in Jewish Studies at Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg on the topic Die unerhörte Prophetie. Communicative Structures of Prophetic Speech in the Book of Yesha'yahu. In 2002 she was Moosnick Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible & Jewish Studies at Lexington Theological Seminary, Kentucky, and a year later Harry Starr Research Fellow at the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University.

In addition to the public inaugural lecture on "Looking Beyond the Plate as an Opportunity for the Study of the European Middle Ages," the new Rosenzweig Visiting Professor will hold two lectures on "Biblical Interpretation of the Jews - from Antiquity to the Present" and on "Stones of Offense?" as part of the regular course offerings at the University of Kassel. When Bible Texts Cause Problems..." The inaugural lecture will take place May 17, 6 p.m., in Room 0401, Arnold-Bode-Strasse 2, Holländischer Platz Campus.

Remembering a Great Son of Kassel

The Franz Rosenzweig Visiting Professorship, unique in Germany, commemorates the work and legacy of the Jewish religious philosopher who came from Kassel. It has been awarded by the University of Kassel each summer semester since 1987.

A photo of Hanna Liss (photo: private) at http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2016/Hanna_Liss_NEU.JPG


Contact:
Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel: +49 561 804-1961
Email: presse@uni-kassel.de