Dr. Vered Sakal has been named the Bertram and Gladys Aaron Professor of Jewish Studies at Christopher Newport University, where she will lead Judaic Studies and build strong ties with the Jewish community. She currently serves as the 2021-2023 Melanie and Andrew Goodman visiting fellow for the Olamot Center for Scholarly and Cultural Exchange with Israel at Indiana University. 

“Joining our faculty of philosophy and religion committed to expanding the awareness of religious traditions and philosophies across the centuries and around the world, Dr. Sakal’s appointment is an enormous development to the University,” shared Quentin Kidd, Provost at Christopher Newport University. “We are proud that Dr. Sakal is joining us and grateful to Bert’ and Gladys Aaron for their generosity in making this appointment possible.”

“Dr. Vered Sakal is the type of teacher and scholar we had in mind when we established this endowed professorship,” shared Gladys Aaron. “We were very impressed with Dr. Sakal’s ability to connect with her students and teach how Jewish studies fits into our world. Her impressive background will be a huge asset to the university and will have an immediate impact in the classroom and community.” 

Vered Sakal holds a PhD in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Vered was a fellow at the Tikva Center for Law and Jewish Civilization at NYU, the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, the Minerva Humanities Center at Tel Aviv University, and the Bloomington Symposia, IU Institute for Advanced Study. Her fields of research are religious studies, modern Jewish thought, liberal theory and subaltern studies. Vered is ordained as a rabbi by Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. She was the founding rabbi of the Givaatim congregation, and worked as an educator in governmental schools, as well as in liberal NGOs. 

“We are thrilled for the investment CNU is making in bringing an excellent scholar of Jewish studies to their university,” shared Eric Maurer, Executive Director of the UJCVP. “Through CNU’s search process, they remained committed to engaging the Jewish community. I applaud CNU, the Aaron family and all those who make this position possible for their vision of academia that can transcend the classroom and engage other communities across the Hampton Roads.”