The 2024 Solomon-Tenenbaum Lecture in Jewish Studies at the University of South Carolina will explore an interfaith view on antisemitism, including a discussion of how Christian-Jewish relations can improve through a more faithful reading of ancient scripture from both traditions.
Amy-Jill Levine, a scholar of Jewish and Christian scripture, will present “Jesus, Judaism, Antisemitism: How the Good News Goes Bad” on Tuesday, February 20, at 6 p.m. in the Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, at 1525 Senate Street, Columbia, SC.
The event is sponsored by the Solomon-Tenenbaum Lectureship in Jewish Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Levine's talk will explore how and why Christian teachers make mistakes when they interpret Jewish scripture or explain the Jewish setting of the New Testament, and how these mistakes perpetuate anti-Jewish stereotypes. In addition to reviewing examples of those mistakes, Levine will share more authentic ways to understand scripture from both religions.
After the lecture, Levine will be joined by USC history professor Andrew Berns, a scholar of medieval and early modern Jewish history in the Mediterranean region, for a dialogue diving deeper into how the interpretation and translation of sacred texts has affected antisemitism and affected Jewish-Christian relations over time.
If you’re going
The 2024 Solomon-Tenenbaum Lecture in Jewish Studies
Featuring Amy-Jill Levine
6 p.m. Tuesday, February 20
Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Joseph F. Rice School of Law
1525 Senate Street, Columbia, SC
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is suggested.
Media Coverage: Contact Bryan Gentry (brgentry@sc.edu) to arrange coverage of the event.
About Amy-Jill Levine
Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.
She is widely recognized for her scholarship on religion and has given close to 1,000 lectures on the Bible, Christian-Jewish relations and other topics. In addition to receiving three audiences with Pope Francis, in Spring 2019 she was the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. In 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Levine has written, co-authored or edited numerous books and compilations related to the New Testament, including “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus” and "The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us” (co-authored with Douglas Knight) and six “beginner’s guides” to the Gospels.
About the Solomon-Tenenbaum Lecture
The Solomon-Tenenbaum Lecture tradition began in 1990, when Samuel and Inez Tenenbaum created the Tenenbaum Visiting Lectureship in Judaic Studies in memory of Meyer Warren Tenenbaum and LaBelle Florence Tenenbaum. Melvin and Judith Solomon, of Charleston, also provided a generous gift to support the lectureship. After more than 30 years, the tradition continues to foster conversation on a variety of topics related to Jewish Studies. Past lectures have covered topics such as Holocaust remembrance and denial, Jewish identity, and Salvador Dali’s artwork celebrating the establishment of the State of Israel.
About Jewish Studies at USC
The Jewish Studies Program seeks to broaden and deepen the understanding of Jewish culture in South Carolina and around the world. Jewish Studies faculty are scholars in religious studies, history, language, literature and other disciplines. The program is part of the College of Arts and Sciences.