Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish Intellectual History

HUC-JIR/New York

Program/School: Rabbinical Program, New York

Academic Field: History; Philosophy/Theology

Research Interests: Early modern Jewish history; Modern Jewish history; Jewish cultural history; History of the book; Jewish religious thought

Rabbi Joseph A. Skloot, Ph.D. is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish Intellectual History at HUC-JIR/New York. He received his Ph.D. in Jewish History at Columbia University (2017), where his dissertation was entitled, “Printing, Hebrew Book Culture and Sefer Ḥasidim.” His research explores the effects of printing on Hebrew texts during the sixteenth century and his teaching encompasses courses in early modern and modern Jewish history and Jewish religious thought. He is currently at work preparing his dissertation for publication.

Prior to his appointment to HUC-JIR's faculty, Skloot served as Associate Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation. He was ordained a rabbi at HUC-JIR (2010), where his thesis was entitled, “The Stunning Controversy: Marcus Horovitz and Jewish Animal Slaughter," and where he was one of the inaugural Tisch Rabbinical Fellows. He received his A.B. in History, cum laude, at Princeton University (2005). His thesis at Princeton was entitled, “Moses of Hamilton Terrace: The Hertz Torah Commentary in Context and Interpretation.”

Skloot is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Jacob K. Javits Graduate Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education; the Weinrib Fellowship at the Center for Jewish Studies at Columbia University; the Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization Graduate Fellowship at Cardozo Law School; and the Kenneth Christopher Harris Award for Service to the Moral and Ethical Life of Princeton University.

Skloot is chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Worship and Practice Committee and his writing has been featured in two CCAR Press publications: The Sacred Table (2011) and Lights in the Forest (2014). He has presented at academic conferences including those of the Association for Jewish Studies and the Renaissance Society of America.