CV

Curriculum Vitae Dr. Ithamar Theodor

Personal

        Married + 3

Home Address: 7 Mitzpe Kinneret st., 20115 Amirim, Israel

Date of Birth: Dec. 26, 1959

Home Tel.  –972- 4 – 6980816

E-mail: itamart@zefat.ac.il

Education:

1996   B.A.       The Hebrew University in Jerusalem: Indology,

Western Philosophy and Religious Studies.

1999   M.A.      The Tel Aviv University: Religious Studies, Indian Thought

2004   M.Litt.   The University of Oxford: Classical Hindu Theology

2007   PhD.       The University of Haifa: Indian Philosophy

2008 Post Doc. The University of Cambridge

Academic Rank

Senior Lecturer at Zefat Academic College

Areas of Specialization

Indian thought and especially Bhagavad gita and Bhagavata Purana.

Areas of Competence

Hindu Theistic Thought, Vaishnavism and especially Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Classical Indian literature and especially Epic and Puranic literature, Indian aesthetics and especially the rasa tradition, Theology and especially Comparative Theology, Ancient and Contemporary Asian Spirituality, Ancient and Modern Indian History and thought, Comparative Indian-Chinese Philosophy, Indian and Asian Ethics and Applied Asian Ethics, Comparative Hindu-Jewish thought, Gandhian Studies.

Competence in a classical Indic language: Sanskrit

 

Administrative positions

2011- 2018:  Director, the Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, The University of Haifa.

2015-2018: The Academic Secretary, Zefat Academic College.

2018- :  Director, Hindu-Jewish Studies, The Sir Dr. Naim Dangoor Centre for Universal Monotheism, Bar-Ilan University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publications

 

Books:

 

1. Theodor, I., India – A Journey to the Soul (Hebrew), Noam-Gilad, Jerusalem, 1999, 80 pp.
2. Theodor, I., The Bhagavad gita – A Verse Translation and Commentary (Hebrew), Carmel, Jerusalem, 2002, 195 pp.
3. Theodor, I., Exploring the Bhagavad gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning, Ashgate Publishers, Surry, 2010, 224 pp.
4. Theodor, I and Yao, Z. (Eds.), Brahman and Dao; Comparative Studies in Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion, Lexington Books, Plymouth and Lanham, 2014.
5. Silvestre, R.S. and Theodor, I. (Eds.), Filosofia E Teologia Da Bhagavad gita; Hinduismo E O Vaishnavismo De Caitanya. Homenagem a Howard J. Resnick. Jurua Editora, 2015.
6. Theodor, I., The Fifth Veda of Hinduism; Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavata Purana, IB Tauris, London and New York, 2016, 230 pp.
7. Theodor, I and Greenberg, Y. (Eds.), Brahman and Dao; Comparative Studies in Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion, Lexington Books, Plymouth and Lanham, 2018.

Books on Non Specialized topics:

 

1. Theodor, I. and Theodor, E. (Eds.), Medical Ethics in Israel (Hebrew), Israeli

Medical Association Publications, Tel Aviv, 2012.

 

My Books translated and published in other languages:

 

1. Theodor, I., Exploring the Bhagavad gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning; published in Russian by 108 Press, Moscow, 2015.
2. Theodor, I. and Xu, D.S., Seeing Brahman from Here; A Bhagavad gita Translation and Commentary Grounded in Classical Chinese Culture (Chinese). Sunbook, Beijing, 2013.

Articles in refereed journals

1. Theodor, I., “The Philosophical Theological Structure of the Bhagavad gita: Deciphering the Structure of the Bhagavad gita Through Comparative Theology”, Nidan – International Journal for the Study of Hinduism, Vol. 17, December 2005, University of KwaZulu-Natal, pp. 1-17.
2. Theodor, I., “The Parinama Aesthetics as Underlying The Bhagavata Purana“, Journal of Asian Philosophy, Routledge, London and New York, Vol. 17, No. 2, July 2007, pp. 109-125.
3. Theodor, I., “Ascending Notions of Personhood in the Bhagavata PuraŠa”, Religions of South Asia, Equinox Publishers, London, Vol. no.1, 2008, pp. 45-63.
4. Theodor, I., “Resorting to Aesthetics: The Gradual Articulation of the Vaiṣṇava Vedānta Tradition”, Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Studies, Folk Books New York, Published in Cooperation With Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Christopher Newport University, Virginia, Vol 25, no. 1., Fall 2016, pp. 65-83.
5. I., “Rebirth in the Bhagavad gita; Epistemology, Ontology and Ethics”, Religions, MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, Open Access, published August 14^th, 2017, 10 pp.
6. I., “Constructing the Aesthetic Self of the Bhagavata Purana”, Journal of Dharma Studies, Springer, Switzerland, September 2018, 19 pp.

 

Book Chapters

 

1. Theodor, I., “The World of the Cows; the Highest Heaven in the Krishnaite Tradition” (Hebrew), in Elior, R.(ed.),”Concepts of Eden in Various Religions and Cultures from Antiquity to Now Days, Magnes, Jerusalem, 2010, pp. 301-315.
2. Theodor, I., “Ethics and Metaphysics in the The Bhagavad gita and Classical Chinese Thought” in: Theodor, I and Yao, Z. (Eds.), Brahman and Dao; Comparative Studies in Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion, Lexington Books, Lanham, 2014, pp. 79-94.
3. Theodor, I., “Extracting a Model of Social Well Being from the Bhagavad gita” in: Sherma, R. and Sharma, A. (Eds.), Engaged Hinduism,
4. Theodor, I., “The Structure of the Bhagavad gita” (translated from “Exploring the Bhagavad gita”), in: Silvestre, R.S. and Theodor, I. (Eds.), Filosofia E Teologia Da Bhagavad gita; Hinduismo E O Vaishnavismo De Caitanya. Homenagem a Howard J. Resnick. Jurua Editora, 2015.
5. Theodor, I., “Towards the Articulation of an Asian Identity: The Highlighting of Links between Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion”, in: Arpita Basu Roy, Anita Sen Gupta, Suchanandana Chatterjee and Priya Singh (eds.), Asia in Transition, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, in association with Knowledge World Publishers, New Delhi, 2016.
6. Theodor, I., “Dharma and Halacha: Reflections upon Hindu and Jewish Ethics”, in: Theodor, I. and Greenberg, y. (Eds.), Dharma and Halacha; Comparative Studies in Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion, Lexington Books, Lanham, 2018, pp. 73-91.
7. Theodor, I., “The Rich and Diversified Bhagavad Gītā: The Centrality of Gītā and Its Relationship to Other Religions”, in: Pandikattu, K. SJ and Karimundackal, T. SJ, Melodies from the Flute; Dialogue Between Religions and Cultures; Memorial Volume for Indian Christian Philosopher Rev. Noel Seth SJ. Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune & Christian World Imprint, New Delhi, 2018, pp. 86-105.

 

Articles in conference proceedings

8. Theodor, I., “Application of the Social Philosophy of the Bhagavad gita”, Iskcon Communication Journal, Vol. 8, no. 1, Oxford, June 2000, pp. 55-60.
9. Theodor, I.,”Looking into the Structure of the Bhagavad gita as a Precondition for its Translation”, in, Sarma, D. (ed.), Challenges in Translations of Classical Hindu Texts, Deepak Heritage Books, Hampton, Virginia, 2009, pp. 13-32.
10. Theodor, I.,”The Bhāgavata Purāṇa and the Bharata’s Rasa Aesthetics“, in: McComas, T. and Rolhman, E. (eds.), Purāṇic Studies, Proceedings of the 16^th World Sanskrit Conference in Bangkok, DK Publishers, New Delhi, 2018.
11. “Resorting to Aesthetics: The Articulation of Divine Personhood by the Vaiṣṇava Vedānta Tradition”, 12^th Conference on Persons, Lund, August 7^th, 2013, forthcoming.

 

 

Articles in non refereed journals

 

1. Theodor, I., “The possible contribution of Asian thought to medical ethics” (part 1), Journal Safed Bio-Ethics forum, Zefat Academic College, Vol. 16, January 2017.
2. Theodor, I., “The possible contribution of Asian thought to medical ethics” (part 2), Journal Safed Bio-Ethics forum, Zefat Academic College, Vol. 17, September

Encyclopedia entries

12. Theodor, I.,”Spiritual Discipline in Hinduism”, The Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, 2007, pp. 601-602.
13. Mayseless, O., Ruah-Midbar, M., & Theodor, , “Spirituality and Mothering” in: Andrea O’Reilly., & J. Geoffrey Golson (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Motherhood, Sage Publications Online, 2010, Article 628.

 

 

 

Book Reviews

14. Theodor, I., Review of: Isaac Lubelsky. Celestial India: Madame Blavatsky and the Birth of Indian Nationalism. London: Equinox Publishing, 2012. In: Zemanim, Tel Aviv University Press, Vol 122, (June 2013).
15. Theodor, I., Review of: Peter van der Veer. The Modern Spirit of Asia; The Spiritual and Secular in China and India. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2014. xi +282 pp. In: RoSA – Religions of South Asia 9.1. (2015) pp. 106-108. Equinox Publishing, Sheffield.
16. Theodor, I., Review of: Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Same God, Other God; Judaism, Hinduism and the Problem of Idolatry, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York, 2016, 265 pp. In: The Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies, Florida International University, Issue 17, (2018), pp. 61-67.
17. Theodor, I., Review of: Steven J. Rosen. Śrī Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatāra of Divine Love. Exploration of Indic Tradition Series: Theological, Ethical and Philosophical. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2017. 231 pp. In: International Journal of Hindu Studies, Springer. Forthcoming 2019.

 

Editor of Translated Books

 

18. Editor, the Hebrew Edition of: Klostermaier, K., A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Oneworld, Oxford, Carmel publishers, Jerusalem, 2018.

Work in Progress:

1. Theodor, I., Gandhi’s Bhagavad gita commentary.
2. Theodor, I., Dharma in the Bhagavad gita.
3. Theodor, I., Religions and Cultures of the Galilee.
4. Theodor, I. (ed.), The Bhagavad gita; a critical introduction. New Delhi, Routledge.
5. Kowner, R. and Theodor, I., Jewish Communities in Asia.

Awards

 

“Exploring the Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning” has been elected as a 2011 Choice Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine. Choice represents the American Academic Libraries and outstanding titles comprise about 2.5% of about 25,000 titles submitted to Choice during the year 2011. See also:

http://blog.ashgate.com/2012/01/11/exploring-the-bhagavad-gita-by-ithamar-theodor-receives-choice-outstanding-academic-title-award-for-2011/

 

 

Danam Outstanding Title 2013 Book prize:

http://iskconnews.org/exploring-the-bhagavad-gita-wins-indic-studies-award,4214/

 

Reviews of my Work

 

1. Review of “Exploring Bhagavad gita; Philosophy Structure and Meaning”. Choice – Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, February 2011 Vol. 48 No. 06, by R. Puligandla, University of Toledo. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general.

2. Review of “Exploring Bhagavad gita; Philosophy Structure and Meaning”. The Journal of Hindu Studies (OUP), 2012;0:1–2, by Carl Olson, Allegheny College. Summing Up: Theodor’s study, translation, and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita is destined to assume an important place in the scholarship devoted to the epic text. This necessarily means that future scholars will have to consider Theodor’s study or be considered deficient in their scholarship.

3. Review of “Exploring Bhagavad gita; Philosophy Structure and Meaning”. International Journal of Hindu Studies, Springer, forthcoming January 2015, Review Article by Arvind Sharma, McGill University: Three New Books on the Bhagavad Gita. Summing Up: If Flood and Martin have produced a translation of this popular book, of which there are many, then Ithamar Theodor has produced a “philosophical exploration,” of which there are few by contrast. The chief merit of Theodor’s book is that it presents the thought of the Bhagavad Gita on its own terms, rather than as ancillary to a school of existing philosophy.

4. Review of “Exploring Bhagavad gita; Philosophy Structure and Meaning”. Philosophy East and West, University of Hawai’i Press, Volume 64, Number 3, July 2014, pp. 807-812, by Hamsa Stainton University of Kansas. Summing Up: Theodor can be commended for guiding us into a deeper appreciation of a central work of Indian philosophy and theology.

5. Review of “Exploring Bhagavad gita; Philosophy Structure and Meaning”. Religious Studies Review, Volume 41, Number 2, June 2015, p.90, by Elizabeth Rohlman, University of Calgary. Summing Up: Theodor frames his work through pedagogical concerns, and his book is wholly successful in this regard. The three-tiered metaphor serves as the foundation for teaching the more challenging content of the Gıta.

6. Review of “The Fifth Veda of Hinduism; Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavata Purana“. Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Volume 26, no. 1, fall 2017, pp. 215-220, by Re’em Stern, Bar-Ilan University. Summing Up: Ithamar Theodor’s recent publication brilliantly explores the construction of divine personhood in the ancient and popular Indian scripture Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

Papers and Lectures Delivered in Conferences and Colloquiums – A Selection

 

1. “Personalism, Impersonalism and aesthetics in the Bhagavata Purana”, The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies Departmental Seminar, March 5, 2002.
2. “The Bhagavad gita in light of Comparative Theology”, The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies Departmental Seminar, April, 2003.
3. “Masculinity in the Bhagavata Purana”, The idea of the Masculine; an International Conference, The University of Haifa, May 15, 2003.
4. “The Theological Philosophical Structure of the Bhagavad gita“, The Third Israeli Asian conference, University of Haifa, February 1^st, 2004.
5. “The Doctrine of Action in Indian Philosophy and its Potential in the field of Applied Ethics”, The Fourth Conference on Meaning and its Various Meanings”, University of Haifa, December 15^th, 2004.
6. “The influence of the Rasa School on the Structure of the Bhagavata Purana“, The Fourth Israeli Asian conference, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, May 30^th, 2005.
7. “Doing Ethics – Articulating a Vision for a New Profession”, A Conference on the Occasion of Inaugurating A Program in the Study of Ethics”, University of Haifa, November 15^th, 2005.
8. “The Bhagavad gita‘s potential for the construction of post modern global ethics”, The Second International Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilization”, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, December 20, 2005.
9. “Towards the Articulation of a Scientific Methodology for the Research of Spirituality, Based upon Comparative Theology”, The Sixth Conference of the Israeli Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, The Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, March 26, 2006.
10. “Towards the Articulation of a New Ethical Theory based upon the Bhagavad gita“, The Bar Ilan University Philosophy Departmental colloquium, May 9^th, 2006.
11. “Extracting an Applied Ethical Theory from the Bhagavad gita“, The Fourth Israeli Asian conference, Tel Aviv University, June 11^th, 2006.

1. “The Puranic Cosmology and the Abode of the Cows – The Supreme Heaven in the Krshnaite Tradition”, The Scholion conference – Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Traditions of Heaven in Israel and beyond, The Van Lir Institute in Jerusalem, November 6^th, 2006.

13. “Looking into the Structure of the Bhagavad gita as a Precondition for its Translation”, The forth Dharma Association of North America Conference, Washington DC, November 17^th, 2006.
14. “The possible contribution of Indian thought towards peace in the Middle East”, The Peace Education Research Centre, The University of Haifa, December 13^th, 2006.
15. “Personhood and Aesthetics in the Bhagavata Purana“, Iskcon Academy for Arts and Sciences Second International Conference, Radhadesh, Belgium, December 16^th, 2006.
16. “Ontology, Ethics, Indian Philosophy and Post-Modernity”, The New Israeli Philosophical Society 10th annual conference, Bar Ilan University, Feb. 22^nd, 2007.
17. “The Contemporary Potential of Indian Philosophy in the Field of Applied Ethics”, The Second Haifa Philosophy Departmental Conference, Beit Daniel, May 13^th, 2007.
18. “The Indian Component as the Missing Asiatic Component in Israeli Identity”, India In Search and Loss of direction in Developing Adulthood, Bar Ilan University, May 27^th, 2007.
19. “Mahatma Gandhi’s Charisma”, The Second Jerusalem Conference on Quality Government, Israeli Convention Centre, Jerusalem, June 10^th, 2007.
20. “Can a serious alternative philosophy be constructed through comparative
    theology?”, The Clare Hall ASH  (Arts, Society, Humanities) Colloquia, Cambridge University, November 6^th, 2007.
21. “The infiltration of Rasa into Vaishnavism”, The fifth Dharma Association of North America Conference, AAR, San Diego, November 17^th, 2007.
22. “Towards the articulation of a Meta Comparative Theology Theory”, The American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, San Diego, November 18^th, 2007.
23. “The Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad gita”, The Cambridge University Krsna Consciousness Society, King’s College, Cambridge, January 15^th, 2008.
24. “The Parinama Aesthetics of the Bhagavata Purana”, The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Oxford, February 28^th, 2008.
25. “Ascending notions of divine personhood in the Bhagavata Purana”, The 33^rd Spalding Symposium on Indian Religions, Jesus College, The University of Oxford, March 14^th, 2008.
26. “Towards constructing a comparative notion of personhood: Boethius and the Bhagavata Purana”, A Colloquium on ‘What is Comparative Philosophy’, Wolfson College, The University of Oxford, March 15^th, 2008.
27. “Ganga’s descent from heaven to earth according to the Bhagavata Purana”, A conference on ‘Fantasy and Reality; representations of past, present and future’,  The University of Haifa, March 18^th, 2008.
28. “Desire and Liberation in the Hindu tradition”, an invited lecture in a seminar on ‘Desire and Liberation’, The Tel Aviv University, May 6^th, 2008.
29. “Personhood East and West”, the Clare Hall lunch time seminar, Cambridge University, May 22^nd, 2008.
30. “Epistemology and Authority in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition”, The Bhaktivedanta Academy of Art and Science 4^th conference, The Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium, December 21^st, 2008.
31. “The Polemics Regarding Spoken Sanskrit, Hindutva and Indian identity”, The First Israeli Conference on Language, Culture and Society in Asia, The University of Haifa, January 11^th-12^th, 2009.
32. “The Mahabharata’s 6^th Book”, A Colloquium on the Mahabharata and its Translation, The University of Haifa, March 5^th, 2009.
33. “Unity and Diversity in the idea of Avatara”, A Conference on Monotheism in Asia; Inter-Religious Issues”, Bar Ilan University, March 18^th, 2009.
34. “The Ancient Roots of Modern Yoga”, The First Israeli Conference on Contemporary Spirituality, University of Haifa, March 23^rd, 2009.
35. “Personhood, Rationality and Variegatedness; An Indo-European Comparative Perspective”, The 12^th Annual Conference of the New Israeli Philosophical Society, The Open University, Raanana, April 6^th, 2009.
36. “Non Violence in Violence; Mahatma Gandhi’s interpretation of the Bhagavad gita”, A conference on “Mahatma Gandhi; Global, Indian and Local Perspectives”, The University of Haifa, May 19^th, 2009.
37. “Ascending Notions of Personhood in the Bhagavata Purana”, The Haifa University Philosophy Department Seminar, January 5^th, 2010.
38. “Contemporary Asian Spirituality in Israel”, Or Hadash Centre for Progressive Judaism, Haifa, January 6^th, 2010.
39. “Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of action and Chinese thought; Comparative reflections”, The First Asian Philosophy Congress, The Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi, March 8^th, 2010.
40. “The Sattva Guna and Ren; Comparative Reflections”, The Fifth Haifa Philosophy Departmental Conference, Beit Daniel, June 6^th, 2010.
41. “Forgiveness in Hinduism”, A seminar on “Forgiveness East and West”, University of Haifa, December 8^th, 2010.
42. “Extracting a Model of Social Well Being and Economic Activity from the Bhagavad gita”, The Tenth East –West Philosopher’s conference, University of Hawai’i, May 18^th, 2011.
43. “The Samadhi Pada of the Yoga-Sutra”, The Tenth Israeli Asian Studies Conference, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, May 26^th, 2011.
44. “The Bhagavad gita and Chinese Philosophy”, The American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, San Francisco, November 19^th, 2011.
45. “The Hindu-Jewish Study Program”, a presentation at the Immigration Committee, The Knesset, Jerusalem, Feb 28^th, 2012 (through representatives).
46. “Non-Violence in Violence; Looking into Mahatma Gandhi’s Bhagavad gita commentary”, The Seventh Haifa Philosophy Departmental Conference, Beit Daniel, June 14th, 2012.
47. “Gandhi’s Bhagavad gita interpretation: Universalizing its message and teachings”, The 10^th annual Danam conference, The American Academy of Religion annual meeting, Chicago, November 16^th, 2012.
48. “Reincarnation and Eating in the Lurianic Kabala and the Upanishads”, The First Haifa Hindu-Jewish Conference, University of Haifa, November 27^th, 2012.
49. “Looking into Gandhi’s Bhagavad gita commentary”, The Fifth Israeli Conference on Contemporary Religions and Spirituality, Tel Aviv University, May 28^th, 2013.
50. “The Bhagavad gita, Applied Ethics and Social Responsibility”, a panel on Spirituality, Mysticism, Politics and social Justice, Conference on Jewish Studies, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, May 31^st, 2013.
51. “Resorting to Aesthetics; The Personal-Impersonal debate in the Medieval Vedanta Tradition”, 12^th Conference on Persons, Lund, August 7^th, 2013.
52. “Howard Reznick’s Neo Vishitadvaita Vedanta Philosophy”, Dharma Academy of North America 11^th conference, the American Academy of Religion, Baltimore, November 22^nd, 2013.
53. “Is there an Asian Philosophy? Building bridges between Indian and Asian thought as a step toward articulating Asian Philosophy”, The First Asian Conference at Tel Hai College, Tel Hai, February 24^th, 2014.
54. “Natural connections between Classical Chinese and Indian thought; the case of Yin, Yang and the Gunas”, A Day Conference in Honor of the Publication of Brahman and Dao; Comparative Studies in Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion, The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, March 12^th, 2014.
55. “Revelation in the Bhakti Tradition”, the 6^th Israeli Conference on Contemporary Spirituality and Religion, Tel Aviv University, April 23^rd, 2014.
56. “The Gentleman in Confucian and Hindu thought”, The Ninth Haifa Philosophy Departmental Conference, Beit Daniel, May 11th, 2014.
57. “Jewish Images of Hinduism”, a panel on Images of the Other, Conference on Jewish Studies, Ort Braude College, Karmiel, May 23^st, 2014.
58. “Towards articulating an Asian identity: highlighting links between Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion”, The Twelfth Israeli Asian Studies Conference, University of Haifa, May 25^th, 2014.
59. “The acceptance of the book ‘Exploring the Bhagavad gita; Philosophy, Structure and Meaning’ by the scholarly community”, The Twelfth Israeli Asian Studies Conference, University of Haifa, May 25^th, 2014.
60. “Roundtable Discussion: Comparing Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion; Reflection and Prospectus”, Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Sep. 16^th, 2014.
61. “The Bhagavad gita and Chinese Wisdom”, the Beijing Sanzhi Culture Institute, University of Beijing, Sep, 22^nd, 2014.
62. “Dharma and Halacha; comparative reflections upon Hindu-Jewish ethics”, Dharma Academy of North America 12^th conference, the American Academy of Religion, San Diego, November 23rd, 2014.
63. “Inter-religious dialogue, non-violence and peace-making in Hinduism”, The First Haifa Conference on Inter-Religious Dialogue, Non-Violence and Peace-Building; Asian and Abrahamic Perspectives”, The University of Haifa, December 24^th, 2014.
64. “Hindu and Jewish Ethics”, The Third Asian-Jewish Conference, The University of Haifa, April 20^th, 2015.
65. “Creation of the World and Nature according to the Bhagavata Purana” the 7^th Israeli Conference on Contemporary Spirituality and Religion, Tel Aviv University, May 4^th, 2015.
66. “Abhinavagupta and Bhoja’s aesthetics”, a seminar in honor of the publication of the Hebrew edition of Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntala, The University of Haifa, May 10^th, 2015.
67. “The Bhagavata Purana and Bharat’s Rasa Aesthetics”, The 16^th World Sanskrit Conference, Bangkok, The International Association for Sanskrit Studies, June 30^th, 2015.
68. “Mystical dimensions of action in Hinduism”, an Invited Lecture at the Founding Conference of the Israeli Society for the Study of Religion, Tel Aviv University, October 13^th, 2015.
69. “Vishvanatha and the Ramhal; comparative reflections upon Hindu-Jewish ethics”, the American Academy of Religion, Atlanta, November 23rd, 2015.
70. “The Bhagavad gita as the All India Book”, World Leadership Dialogue; The Wisdom of the Bhagavad gita, Pune, December 13^th, 2015.
71. “Reflection on Hinduism as Avoda Zara in light of the book Same God other god (2015) by Alon Goshen Gottstein”, The Forth Asian-Jewish Conference, Bar Ilan University, April 4^th, 2016.
72. Guest of Honor Lecture, Inaugural event celebrating the publication of “The Fifth Veda of Hinduism; Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavata Purana” (IB Tauris, London, 2016), The University of Haifa, May 2^nd, 2016.
73. “Jainism, Non Violence and Ecology”, an evening in honor of the late B.V. Jain, The Peres Centre for Peace, Bat Yam, May 3^rd, 2016.
74. “Poetics and Personhood in the Bhagavata Purana”, Celebrating the publication of “The Fifth Veda of Hinduism; Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavata Purana”, Zefat Academic College, May 9^th, 2016.
75. “The structure of the Bhagavata Purana”, A Panel celebrating the publication of “The Fifth Veda of Hinduism; Poetry, Philosophy and Devotion in the Bhagavata Purana”, The Thirteenth Israeli Asian Studies Conference, Tel Hai Academic College, May 18^th, 2016.
76. “Bankim Chandra Chatterji’s Anandamath as a Modern Bhagavad gita Commentary”, an invited guest lecture, South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, June 10^th, 2016.
77. “Constructing the Aesthetic Self of the Bhagavata Purana”, Dharma Academy of North America 14^th conference, the American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, November 18^th , 201
78. “80 years of translating Sanskrit into Modern Hebrew”, The 2^nd Israeli Conference on Language, culture and Society in Asia, The University of Haifa, December 21^st, 2016.
79. “The Bhagavata Purana and Bharata’s Rasa Aesthetics”, A Conference on The Bhagavata Purana; History, Philosophy and Culture, Co-Organized by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and the University of Madras, Chennai, January 7^th, 2017.

• “My Asian Religious Experience – personal reflections on my attempt at achieving Ren through Hindu-Jewish practice”, Academic Exchange on Religion and Culture, Bar Ilan University, March 30^th, 2017.

81. “Ladders of Self Transcendence in the Yoga Tradition”, A Day Seminar on Criminology, Zefat Academic College, May 9^th, 2017.
82. ” The Personification of the Purusha Hymn (Rig Veda 10-90) in the Bhagavata Purana”. The Israeli Society for the Study of Religion 1^st annual conference; The Open University, Ra’anana, June 8^th, 2017.
83. “Charitable Actions by the Ideal person in the Hindu and Chinese Traditions”, Dharma Academy of North America 15^th conference, the American Academy of Religion, Boston, November 17^th, 201
84. “The amalgamation of the Rasa tradition in the Bhagavata Purana; why and how? The Israeli Society for the Study of Religion 2^nd annual conference; Bar Ilan University, March 12^th, 2018.
85. “Vedic and Non Vedic Sacrifices”, Sacrifice in Asian Religions; a day conference on the occasion of the inauguration of the ICCR Chair in Hindu Studies, The University of Haifa, March 26^th, 2018.
86. “The Maronite Christian Community in Jish, and the rejuvenation of the Aramaic Language”, Zefat Centre for the Study of the Galilee annual 3^rd conference, Zefat Academic College, May 8^th, 2018.
87. “The Possible Contribution of Asian Thought to Medical Ethics”, The 13^th Haifa Philosophy Departmental Conference, Beit Daniel, May 22^nd, 2018.
88. “Redefining the Academic Discipline of Hindu Studies in Israel”, The Inauguration of the Hebrew edition of Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism by Klaus K. Klostermaier, Tel Aviv University, June 20^th, 2018.
89. “Dharma in the Bhagavad gita”,the 17^th World Sanskrit Conference, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, July 11^th, 2018.
90. “Yoga and Daoism; Creation”, The Third Lifeology and Sinology Forum, Wuhan, September 15^th, 2018.
91. “Dharma and Halacha; Editor’s Response to the Book Review Panel”, Dharma and Halacha Book Review Panel, Dharma Academy of North America’s 16^th Conference, the American Academy of Religion, Denver, November 17^th, 2018.
92. “The possible contribution of Asian thought to medical ethics”, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics 13^th World Conference, Jerusalem, November 28^th, 2018.
93. “A Surevey of the Hindu-Jewish Dialogue”, Dharma and Halacha; Compartive Studies in Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion inaugural event, Bar-Ilan University, Dec. 26^th, 2018.
94. “I think – therefore I am wrong; on the possible confluence of Yoga and Western Philosophy”, the 22^nd Annual Conference of the Israeli Philosophy Society, Bar-Ilan University, February 13^th, 2019.

 Courses taught: a Selection

1. “Philosophies and Religions of India”, Ascolot, The Open University, Tel Aviv, 1996.
2. “Reading of Primary Indian Sources”, East Asian dept., University of Tel Aviv, 1998-99.
3. “Bhagavad gita and Yogasutra of Patanjali”, Ord Wingate institute, 1996-1999.
4.  “Philosophy East and West” (With Dr. Nehama Verbin, Beit Daniel, Open University, 2004.
5. “An Introduction to Pre Modern India; History, Philosophy and Religion”, East Asian dept., University of Haifa, 2002-2006.
6. “Modern Indian Thought”, East Asian dept., University of Haifa, 2004-2006.
7.  “A Historical Introduction to Modern India”, East Asian dept., University of Haifa, 2006.
8.  “An Introduction to Indian Philosophy”, Asian Studies Dept., University of Haifa, 2007.
9.  “The Great Spiritual Traditions of the East”, The Program for Religious Studies, University of Haifa, 2007.
10. “M.K. Gandhi; Personality, Thought and Ethos”, Asian Studies Dept., University of Haifa, 2008.
11. “An Introduction to Indian Philosophy”, The Dept. for the Culture of Creativity and Productivity, Sapir College, 2008.
12. “The 19^th-20^th c. Intellectual History of Bengal”, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, 2009.
13. “Introduction to Indian History, Thought and Culture”, The Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, The Yizrael Valley College, 2009.
14. “Self and Identity in Indian Culture”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2010.
15. “Yoga and Meditation in Indian Tradition”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2010.
16. “Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Jewish and Arab Medicines”, Dept. of Physiotherapy, University of Haifa, 2010-2011.
17. “Religions of India”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2011.
18. “Visions of the Supreme in the Hindu Tradition”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2011.
19. “Yoga and Meditation in the Hindu Tradition”, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, 2011.
20. World Religions; Hinduism and Judaism, co taught with Dr. Yossi Chajes, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, 2011-2013.
21. “Modern Indian Thought”, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, 2011-2012.
22. “Self and Identity in Indian Culture”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2012.
23. “Hindu Visions of Divinity”, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2013.
24. “Modern Indian Thought”, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Summer 2013.
25. “Readings in the Classical Texts of Hinduism”, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Summer 2013.
26. “Brahman and Dao; Comparative Indian and Chinese Studies”, The Program for Hindu-Jewish Studies, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Spring 2014.
27. “Introduction to Indian Religion, History and Culture”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Haifa, Spring 2014.
28. “Hinduism and Jainism”, Dept. of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Autumn 2016.
29. “Introduction to Indian Religion, History and Culture”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar Ilan University, 2016-2017.
30. “Neo Hinduism”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar Ilan University, Fall term, 2017.
31. “Asian Philosophy”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zefat Academic College, Fall term, 2017.
32. “Religions of India”, Dept. of Religious Studies, Zefat Academic College, Spring term, 2018.
33. “Brahman and Dao; Comparative Indian and Chinese Studies”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar Ilan University, Spring term, 2018.
34. “Reflection on Jewish texts in light of Hindu texts”, Dept. of Comparative Literature, Bar-Ilan University, Fall Term, 2018.
35. “Mystical Sects in Israel”, Dept. of Behavioral Sciences, Zefat Academic College, 2018 – 2019.
36. “Asian Philosophy”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zefat Academic College, Fall term, 2018.
37. “Asian Religions and Theology”, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zefat Academic College, Fall term, 2018.

Academic Memberships

1. 1997-1999: Junior Faculty, East Asian Studies Dept., University of Tel Aviv.
2. 1999-2004: Member, The British Association for the Study of Religion.
3. 1999-2004: Member, The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
4. 2000-2004: Member of Common Room ,Wolfson College, University of Oxford.
5. 2002- : Adjunct Faculty, Asian Studies dept., University of Haifa.
6. 2004- : Member, New Israeli Philosophical Society.
7. 2006- : Member, the Comparative Theology Study Group, American Academy of Religion.
8. 2006-2007: Member, The Peace Education Research Centre, Haifa University.
9. 2006 – Member, The American Academy of Religion.
10. 2007-2008, Visiting Fellow, Centre for Advanced Theological and Religious Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.
11. 2007-2008, Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.
12. 2008- Life Member, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.
13. 2010-2013 – Visiting Scholar, The Professorship in Indian Religions and Culture, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
14. 2010-2013: Member of New Asia College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
15. 2013-2015: Adjunct Assistant Professor, The Professorship in Indian Religions and Culture, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
16. 2013 – Member of Editorial Board – Assistant Editor, Journal of Dharma Studies, Springer.
17. 2014- Research Fellow – Beijing Sanzhi Culture Institute.
18. 2014 – Member of Editorial Board, The Journal of Indo-Judeo Studies.
19. 2017 – Member of Editorial Board, The Journal of Dharma Studies.
20. 2018 – Book Review Editor, The Journal of Dharma Studies.

Advising Research Students

 

Co-Supervisor with Dr. Sharon Halevi of Mr. Shai Ferraro, MA thesis (stage A) entitled “A New Age for the Goddess? Goddess Religions and Cultural Feminism”, Dept. of General History, University of Haifa, 2011.

Supervisor of Mrs. Jacqueline Sin Lai Fong, MA Dissertation in Religious Studies, “Christ and Krishna: An Examination of the Doctrine of Incarnation in Christianity and Vaishnavism“, Dept. of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring Term, 2012, 17,000 words.

Co-Supervisor With Prof, Joshua Frenkel of Mr. Ali Sirhan, MA Dissertation in Religious Studies, “Similarities between the Bhagavad Gita and Rsaail AlhKmh:

Comparative Issues on descriptions of nature deity on Hindu and Druze scriptures“. Department of Israel Studies, The University of Haifa, Submitted March 2017, 15,000 words.

Co-Supervisor with Dr. Shlomy Mualem of Mr. Reem Stern, PhD Dissertation in Religious Studies, “Aesthetic Personalism in the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta:

An Inter-textual Discussion of a Hindu Hagiography”, Department of Comparative Literature, Bar Ilan University, in progress.

 

Co-Supervisor with Prof. Yossi Ben-Artzi of Mr. Yuval Amram, PhD Dissertation in Israel Studies, “Spiritual Communities of the Galilee”, Department of Israel Studies, University of Haifa, in progress.

 

 

Last updated: February 14^th, 2019