Distinguished Professor Explores Springsteen Lyrics

“The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” will be discussed at The University of Scranton Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture on Nov. 9.
“The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” will be discussed by Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., at The University of Scranton Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.
“The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” will be discussed by Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., at The University of Scranton Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.

Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers University, will present “The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Nov. 9. Sponsored by the University’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute, the lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Yaden-Israel’s presentation will unearth Old Testament themes and reinterpretations of Bible passages from Springsteen’s song lyrics. He breaks down these common themes into four sections: early works, sin, grace and the struggle within, and Springsteen’s Midrash.

The author of three books that add depth to the understanding of midrash and the study of German as a foreign vocabulary, Scripture as Logos: Rabbi Ishmael and the Origins of Midrash, Scripture and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Triumph of Midrash, and Intuitive Vocabulary: German, Dr. Yaden-Israel spent two years mining Bruce Springsteen’s songs for research in his latest book, The Grace of God and the Grace of Man: The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen.

Dr. Yaden-Israel earned his bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University, and his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union. A professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers, Dr. Yadin-Israel teaches courses on rabbinic literature, classical Jewish philosophy, the history of Jewish mysticism and Plato.

The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute, created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community, fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers as well as library acquisitions, publications, faculty research travel and other scholarly endeavors. A $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990 further enhanced the institute’s work.

For more information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956.

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