Sep 11, 2008 -- Ephraim Kanarfogel, E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History at Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Stern College for Women (SCW), has been elected to the American Academy for Jewish Research (AAJR), the oldest organization of Judaic scholars in North America. Members are nominated and elected by their peers and thus constitute the most distinguished and senior scholars teaching Judaic studies at American universities. Dr. Kanarfogel joins Yeshiva colleagues David Berger, Louis Feldman, Arthur Hyman, Haym Soloveitchik and Richard Steiner as a member of the Academy. “I am very pleased by Dr. Kanarfogel’s election to the AAJR,” said Karen Bacon, The Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College. “This honor is one more indication of the high respect in which he is held in the academic community. He continues to inspire and provoke excellence in teaching and in research.” Dr. Kanarfogel, an alumnus of YU High School for Boys and Yeshiva College who earned his PhD at Revel in 1987, also serves as the director of the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies at Stern College. The Teaneck, New Jersey resident specializes in the intellectual history of medieval Ashkenazic Jewry, and has won many academic honors, including the coveted National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council and the Samuel Belkin Memorial Award from Yeshiva University. A prolific writer and lecturer, Dr. Kanarfogel has held visiting appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University brings together the heritage of Western civilization and the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life. More than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students study at YU's four New York City campuses: the Wilf Campus, Israel Henry Beren Campus, Brookdale Center, and Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus. YU’s three undergraduate schools –– Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, and Sy Syms School of Business ––– offer a unique dual program comprised of Jewish studies and liberal arts courses. Its graduate and affiliate schools include Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. YU is ranked among the nation’s leading academic research institutions. # # # Visit the YU Web site at www.yu.edu.