Harry Starr Fellowship in Judaica

The Harvard University Center for Jewish Studies has opened applications for the Harry Starr Fellowship in Judaica on the theme of Jews and the Environment in the Ancient World.

We invite applications from scholars working on the relationship between Jews and the natural world in antiquity (broadly understood). We welcome projects from all angles and disciplines, including archaeology and environmental history (risk management, adaptations to locality, and the co-constructed environments of ancient Jewish communities), biblical studies and theology (the ways Jews conceptualized divine agency in relation to weather, atmospheric phenomena as expressions of divine will or as signs of legitimacy, an environmental hermeneutic on texts), the history of scientific thinking about nature and climate among ancient Jews (and in relation to that of neighboring and peer communities), the place of the environment in ancient apocalyptic and eschatological thought (and its relevance to current wrestling with the Anthropocene and the climate crisis), and much more.

We hope that this broad and interdisciplinary theme will bring together scholars from ancient history, archaeology, biblical studies, the environmental humanities, Second Temple Judaism, rabbinics, and theology.
Applicants must have their Ph.D. degree in hand by the end of January 2027*
or a letter from the degree-granting institution’s registrar’s office as a verification document confirming that the requirements of the degree were completed, and the date on which the degree will be conferred. Please provide documentation of the Ph.D. degree upon accepting the fellowship.

Starr Fellows are expected to be present on campus for the duration of their appointment. Fellows are expected to participate in our weekly Starr Seminars during the spring semester. We encourage fellows to come for the entire year.
Starr Fellows will receive a stipend of $40,000 for the spring semester or $70,000 for the full academic year.

Basic Qualifications

Ph.D. required.
Applicants must have their Ph.D. by the end of January 2027*
or a letter from the degree-granting institution’s registrar’s office as a verification document confirming that the requirements of the degree were completed, and the date on which the degree will be conferred
. Please provide documentation of the Ph.D. degree upon accepting the fellowship.

Additional Qualifications

We hope that this broad and interdisciplinary theme will bring together scholars from ancient history, archaeology, biblical studies, the environmental humanities, Second Temple Judaism, rabbinics, and theology.

Special Instructions

Applicants are required to submit a short project proposal, C.V. (all files must be pdfs), and two letters of recommendation.

Starr Fellows are expected to be present on campus for the duration of their appointment. Fellows are expected to participate in our weekly Starr Seminars during the spring semester. We encourage fellows to come for the entire year.

The Final date to receive applications is December 11, 2026.

The recommendation.

Contact Information

Sandy Cantave Vil

cantavevard.edu

Program Coordinator

Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University

6 Divinity Ave, Suite 210

Cambridge, MA 02138

Contact Email

Salary Range

$40,000 for the spring semester or $70,000 for the full academic year.

Minimum Number of References Required

Minimum Number of References Required 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed

Maximum Number of References Allowed 3

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